Which state is going to miss our biggest ever cruise?
Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of the Seas, the biggest cruise ship ever to visit Australia, is set to arrive in December, but one state looks as though it’s going to miss out.
The Ovation of the Seas will not be docking in Victoria, as Port Phillip Bay isn’t deep enough and Station Pier isn’t equipped to handle the billion-dollar mega-ship.
Adam Armstrong, managing director of Royal Caribbean Australia, told Fairfax, “Although we wanted to bring Ovation of the Seas to Melbourne, unfortunately Station Pier is not yet capable of berthing the largest and newest ship to sail these waters.
“The reasons for this are related to both the depth and width of the channel in Port Phillip Bay and the load and wind-bearing capacity of Station Pier.”
Port of Melbourne Corporation CEO Nick Easy also noted: “Due to her size, any visit by the Ovation of the Seas to Station Pier would be subject to weather conditions. Unfavourable conditions could potentially impact her forward itinerary scheduling and we understand the vessel’s operators have considered this in their decision not to call at Melbourne this coming season.”
The news is disappointing for Victorian cruising fans. Per capita, Australia has more cruise passengers than anywhere else in the world, and a whopping 16.5 per cent of them come from Victoria, according to the Cruise Lines International Association.
Meg Hill, managing director of travel agency Cruise Express, said “Any city that misses out on a huge highlight like this would have a sense of disappointment. Not just for cruise guests. There’s an enormous attraction in standing on shore and watching her arrive or depart.”
Do you think Victoria should have done more to prepare for the Ovation of the Seas? Are you looking forward to seeing the biggest cruise in Australia?
Let us know in the comments.
Image credit: Twitter / visualsvisuals
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