Officials in Adelaide discovered potentially harmful organisms, identified by some media as a sea snail, which had to be removed by divers before the ship could enter Australian waters.
Sydney on Jan. 4
That cleaning operation completed, Viking Orion put in to Melbourne on Monday for immigration clearance and is heading to Sydney for a scheduled Wednesday arrival.
'The ship has now returned to her planned itinerary,' Viking said in a statement, adding that this followed the cleaning of 'a limited amount of standard marine growth.'
Australia's Marine Pest Sectoral Committee did not immediately answer emailed questions. (Update: Subsequently, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry provided further information — See 'Australia takes "education-first" approach on biofoul compliance')
Biofoul, or biological fouling, is the accumulation of microorganisms, plants, algae or small animals on a ship's hull. Australia routinely inspects for biofoul to prevent the introduction of potentially harmful non-native species.
Four ports missed
Viking Orion reportedly missed four ports of call. Viking said it is working on compensation.
The 2018-built ship has capacity for 930 passengers. It is not known how many are onboard this cruise.
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