Auckland: Ovation of the Seas' Passengers Ferried to Shore

Ovation of the Seas, one of the world's largest cruise ships, had to ferry passengers to shore on Monday, because she was too big to dock in Auckland, New Zealand. She is the largest cruise ship to sail New Zealand waters.

The 347-meter (1,140-foot) Royal Caribbean ship, which made its maiden voyage in April, from its home port in Sydney. The 4,900 passenger ship, sails to New Zealand, the South Pacific and South East Asia. 

Ports of Auckland recently commissioned a feasibility study to look at alternative methods for powering cruise ships when in port. ?The main alternative being studied is powering ships from the national grid. The study will also consider a range of alternatives including LNG or methanol-powered barges to generate ship's power, and the use of low-sulphur fuels to reduce emissions.

New Zealand will welcome a record number of cruise ships to its shores this summer, including an unprecedented nine ships making their inaugural calls to the country.

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) Australasia Commercial Director Brett Jardine said a record 33 ships from CLIA member cruise lines would be cruising New Zealand waters between October 1, 2016, and April 30, 2016 – a significant increase on the 28 ships which visited over the same period last year.

Between them, the ships will make more than 600 calls to ports around the country. The visits will include close to a dozen maiden port calls for cruise lines at destinations including Stewart Island, Wellington and Kaikoura, as well as more than 60 inaugural port calls for individual ships.

Official CLIA figures show close to 70,000 New Zealanders took a cruise in 2015 – a 10 percent increase on the previous year.