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A cruise ship that was denied entry to New Zealand and left in limbo 300 miles out to sea because it had no New Zealand crew, has headed to another port.
After New Zealand immigration officials denied border waivers to more than 60 hotel staff and hospitality aboard Le Lapérouse, the French cruise liner set sail for Noumea.
While the crew deemed essential for the voyage was allowed entry, staff from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment told the ship’s owners to drop off the hospitality crew in New Caledonia, before continuing to New Zealand.
So now, the ship is heading to the Pacific island where it will dock while the cruise operator makes a decision on the way forward.
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In a statement to StuffSarina Bratton, president of the PONANT Yacht Cruises & Expeditions company, said they had informed Immigration New Zealand that they would try to identify some New Zealanders to fill the roles of those who were denied entry.
They have already hired 14 New Zealand residents for roles aboard the ship.
The situation came to a head when the ship’s operators made a fuss about being unable to enter New Zealand after they said health officials had granted the permit in December.
Journey through the wild land
Le Lapérouse is a French-owned cruise ship now heading to Noumea to dock.
But on Friday, the government responded by saying that cruise operators only asked for waivers two days before leaving Indonesia in early January.
And officials say Immigration NZ told the company on January 12 that the crew could not enter without the proper visas “and that this may take longer than usual due to the large number of crews requesting border exceptions.”
“When the cruise ship, Le Laperouse, received permission from the Director General of Health, under a Maritime Borders Order, to travel to New Zealand, that approval was conditional on Le Laperouse obtaining the necessary visas from Immigration New Zealand (INZ ). That was made clear to the ship’s agents at least twice, ”Immigration Minister Kris Fafoi said in a written statement.
“I understand that INZ received a request for border exceptions for 90 foreign crew members on board the vessel 48 hours before its trip to New Zealand began.
Journey through the wild land
Le Lapérouse was to carry 100 passengers on seven trips through New Zealand.
“INZ granted visas to 29 crew members who were deemed essential for the operation of the ship to travel to New Zealand in order to deliver it to a company and for its overhaul or refit.
“Immigration rejected visas for the other 61 crew members that were not considered essential for the purpose of the ship’s voyage here. The ship should have waited for visa decisions to be completed to ensure that those on board were in compliance with New Zealand immigration requirements when the ship entered our border. “
Bratton said the cruise would be a boon to New Zealand’s tourism industry if the ship was allowed to enter the country.
The economic contribution to the economy is significant and there are many small businesses that are confident this will come true, to reduce job losses and provide hope for the future, he said.
Aaron Russ, director of Christchurch-based Wild Earth Travel, chartered the ship from French cruise operator Ponant and was planning seven New Zealand expeditions, the first of which would begin in Auckland on February 8.
Critical worker visas were approved for the ship’s 29 bridge officers and engineers. But Immigration NZ says the hospitality team, which does everything from serving food to cleaning rooms to conducting tours, must come from New Zealand.
Russ says it’s impossible to recruit and train a new hotel staff in a week, and he questioned officials’ claim that hospitality staff don’t require maritime qualifications.
He estimated that the decision will cost his company $ 1.5 million, with another $ 6 million of tourism lost to the economy.
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Aaron Russ has led expeditions on more than 100 small boat cruises.
“The reality is that all ship crews must have maritime qualifications and also be trained for the ship they are sailing on.
“Furthermore, Ponant has not been given the opportunity to rectify the matter, as the ship will arrive in Auckland on Saturday and will have the first Kiwi guests on board on 8 February.
“The reality is that in trying to create hospitality jobs for Kiwis, this decision will affect many more people who work as travel agents, tour guides, boat repairers and provide provisions.”
The cruise ship has been virtually paralyzed for nearly a year, and the coronavirus hits the industry particularly hard.
Bratton said the cruise company had operated 60 expeditions around the world during the pandemic and had developed extensive protocols.
