Cunard has announced it will stop homeporting the Queen Elizabeth in Australia from 2026 onwards.
The ship will only visit the southern hemisphere on world cruise segments.
In a statement from Matt Gleaves, Commercial Vice President of North America & Australasia, he said, “We know that many guests in Australia and Japan love to sail with Cunard and Queen Elizabeth is already on her way to Australia to begin her 2023/2024 homeport season starting 27 November.
Just heard today that the P&O Pacific Adventure has been denied entry into New Zealand for the exact same reason as the QE. From an email sent to passengers:
We have just discovered some high-risk invasive species on a small, localised section of Pacific Adventure’s hull, which needs to be removed before the ship will be permitted to enter New Zealand.
The hull had been deemed clean during a recent full dive inspection that was carried out to ensure the ship was ready to enter