New Zealand's largest city Auckland will soon be able to accommodate more cruise ships with the NZ$10.0 million (US$6.8 million) development of two outer dolphin mooring structures.
Auckland Council has agreed to proceed with the development of two new structures between 80 and 85 metres off the northern edge of Queens Wharf.
They will be connected by a walkway, as the safest option for berthing ships more than 300 metres long in time for the 2019-2020 cruise season.
The outer dolphins will enable larger ships to berth to the east of Queens Wharf and will also enable cruise ships to berth on the west of the wharf with the planned modifications to the ferry terminal as part of the council's Waterfront Plan.
The project's capital costs will be recovered over time through cruise ship passenger levies imposed and collected by Ports of Auckland.
Auckland is a popular stop on the South Pacific and Australia cruise ship circuit. Ship visits have grown from 40 in 2006 to 135 in 2018 and passenger numbers from 60,000 to 220,000 over the same period.
Auckland is also an "exchange port", where passengers and crew are exchanged at the start or end of their journey.
