Hundreds of Viking cruise ship passengers stranded on New Year’s ‘trip from hell’ after outbreak of fungus found on hull

Hundreds of vacationers were stranded on a cruise ship over New Year’s Eve after a fungus was found on the hull.

The Viking Orion was reportedly driven back from several southern ports Australiasaw passengers stuck at sea for five days.

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A trapped traveler suffering from a severe case of cabin fever describes the ordeal as a “journey through hell.”

of cruise The ship has not anchored in port since it set sail from Wellington. new zealand on boxing day.

The Australian Fisheries Authority has denied the ship docking permission after discovering “sea growths” on its hull.

Officials said fungi labeled as biofouling are “potentially harmful” and must be removed before ships are allowed access.

The Viking Orion was rejected by four ports, including Christchurch, Dunedin and Hobart, and set sail in an attempt to dock at Adelaide.

Officials said they found small amounts of biofouling (marine microorganisms, plants, algae, or small animals) on board.

They then ordered the cruise liner to clean up the action before entering Australian waters.

But more than 800 passengers claim they were told by staff that they could not dock in Adelaide, even though they hoped this would be the end of the ordeal.

Seasick tourists say they were instead warned that the 14-story cruise liner was docked 17 miles from shore.

Divers are placed in the water to clean the hull before it finally arrives. melbourne on friday.

One person said passengers were “outraged” that their dream winter cruise had turned into a “terrifying trip.”

The Frustrated Man wrote: “Our @VikingCruises trip to NZ and Australia missed 4 out of 8 ports of dirty/biohazard hulls.

“800 people, mostly Americans, are upset and angry at the negligence. Viking Orion. Disappointed after 2 years of waiting, anticipation and $$$$. Please help.”

Another scathingly called her long hours at sea a “journey from hell” Tweet – And she just said she wanted to go home.

The woman said, “It was the most surreal and maddening experience. I thought we would have lost yet another port before they announced this morning.

“Now I just want to get off this ship and go home. They ruined New Zealand and Australia for me.”

Some claim that they were promised compensation after the beginning of the hellish holiday.

Passenger John Davidson told 10 News First:

“Right now it’s 50%, but we expect the offer to improve in the future.”

In a letter on Friday, the captain expressed his sorrow that “the current cruise has fallen short of your expectations.”

Marko Snajdar said members of Viking’s customer relations team will be providing “coordinated compensation offerings” to guests in the coming days.

Operator Viking said the ship will sail to Melbourne on New Year’s Day and resume its itinerary tomorrow.

In a statement, they said, “A limited amount of standard marine life has been removed from the hull. This is a standard cleaning procedure for vessels.

“The ship had to miss several ports of call on this itinerary in order to carry out the necessary cleaning, but was scheduled to set sail for Melbourne on 1 January as scheduled and was scheduled to Itineraries are expected to resume fully by January 2nd.

“Viking works directly with guests on compensation for impacts on voyages.”

The Australian Fisheries Authority said biofoul management is common practice for all arriving international vessels.

They added: “Vessels should undergo hull cleaning to remove biofouling and prevent potentially harmful marine organisms from being transported by the vessel.

“Professional divers were engaged directly by the vessel lines/agents to clean the hull while anchored outside Australian waters.”

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