NZ volcano disaster: tragedy hits cruise sector in high season

The eruption has hit the billion-dollar cruise industry just as it was gearing up for the biggest summer season on record.

The Ovation of the Seas berthed in Tauranga, New Zealand, on Tuesday. Picture: AAP

The devastating news from New Zealand’s White Island has hit the billion-dollar cruise industry just as it was gearing up for the biggest Australian and New Zealand summer season on record.

Royal Caribbean International’s Australian and NZ managing director Gavin Smith was en route to New Zealand on Tuesday after the volcano eruption that has claimed the lives of several Ovation of the Seas passengers.

Mr Smith was unavailable for comment but industry stalwart Ann Sherry, the former chair of rival cruise line Carnival, described White Island as a monumental tragedy.

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“We are thinking about the families as a result of this tragic event, our heart goes out to them,” said Ms Sherry, who built the Carnival line in Australia and will welcome 10 ships here this summer season as well as an extra Cunard ship for three months.

“The industry has proved to be resilient in the face of different sorts of challenges, we have faced a lot of challenges over the past 10 to 15 years,” Ms Sherry said.

“It is too early to say if (White Island) will hurt growth, (but) we have continued to see growth in the tough times in the past. I can’t make a prediction about this. We have managed to deliver growth as we have faced several challenges.”

Latest industry figures reveal an 11.2 per cent increase in the cruise industry’s total value to the Australian economy, contributing $5.2bn in the 2018-19 financial year.

There were 1240 cruise ship visits leading to 3.8 million passenger and crew visit days totalling $2.5bn in the past financial year.

Ms Sherry said the entire Australian and New Zealand cruise industry was united over the tragic events at White Island and Carnival, the world’s largest cruise line that has more infrastructure on the ground in New Zealand, had offered Royal Caribbean access to its care teams.

One cruise executive said there would be questions over why a local tour operator took people out when the volcano was erupting.

In a statement, Royal Carib­bean said the news from White Island was heartbreaking and the line was working with guests and authorities in the aftermath of the tragedy.

The Ovation of the Seas, which was carrying the passengers who went on the shore expedition to White Island, remained docked in the Bay of Plenty yesterday.

Apart from White Island, the Australian cruise industry has faced several challenges, including the death of Brisbane mother ­Dianne Brimble from a drug overdose on a P&O ship in 2002 who was allegedly neglected and received callous treatment at the hands of passengers.

Since 2000, about 300 people worldwide have gone overboard from cruise ships and ferries, some under the influence of alcohol.

Meanwhile, the Cruise Line Industry Association said at this stage, the industry’s first priority was for the care of those affected by the tragedy in New Zealand.

“We are deeply saddened by yesterday’s tragic events in New Zealand,” said CLIA managing director Joel Katz.

“We send our sincere condolences to those who have lost loved ones, and our thoughts are with those who have suffered injuries.”