Two cruise ships that were hoped to being over 4,000 passengers to Tasmania’s north have been turned away due to adverse weather conditions.
The Silver Muse and the Noordam were due to dock at the Port of Burnie on Tuesday morning, with local retailers and tourism operators impacted by last-minute cancellation and significant loss of revenue.
“TasPorts has advised Council that unfortunately due to maritime safety issues, large swells) the Captains on both the Silver Muse and MS Noordam have cancelled their call into Burnie,” the Burnie City Council said on Tuesday morning.
Swell and wind conditions were reported to be ‘beyond the safe operating limits’ for towage and cruise ship handling.
“The Makers Market at Marine Plaza have also packed up for the day. Let’s hope that the Queen Elizabeth can dock tomorrow.”
Visitors had planned to take day trips to popular attractions including Cradle Mountain, Don River Railway, Wings Wildlife Park and Trowunna Wildlife Sanctuary.
The Silver Muse is expected to return on Saturday, while the Noordam will not be returning until early March.
The Queen Elizabeth will be the largest vessel to visit Burnie this week, arriving on Wednesday with over 2,000 passengers and 900 crew members.
TasPorts is expecting a bumper cruise ship season for 2023-2024, with around 159 cruise calls forecasted for Tasmania, carrying around 287,000 passengers and 124,000 crew members.
