Civil Unrest Leads Cruise Lines to Bypass Port

Days of violent unrest in New Caledonia forced cruise lines to revise their South Pacific itineraries. Australia-based cruise lines P&O Cruises and Carnival Cruise Lines Australia are monitoring the situation, which has left several people dead and closed the airport at Noumea.

A state of emergency is in effect in the French Pacific territory.

P&O, Carnival Cruise Line Australia Announce Revised Itineraries

P&O Cruises Australia told Australian media outlet 9 News its ship Pacific Adventure will extend its stay at Mystery Island, Vanuatu, for an extra day instead of a scheduled port call in New Caledonia.

“The safety of our guests and crew is paramount and should we need to make any further changes to upcoming itineraries due to the current situation, we will let our guests know,” a P&O Cruises spokesperson said.

“Our thoughts are with the communities of New Caledonia at this challenging time. We thank our guests for their understanding.” Sister brand Carnival Cruise Lines also said it will revise an upcoming itinerary for the Carnival Splendor. The ship will now call at Santo and Vila, in Vanuatu.

Splendor’s South Pacific cruise is due to depart at the weekend.

“Guests booked on the impacted voyage have been notified of the changes and offered the option of an on-board credit or future cruise credit, should they decide not to travel,” the line said.

Violent Protests Erupted in Noumea this Past Week

A contentious new voting bill sparked the unrest. It led to widespread unrest in Noumea and surrounding areas. At least four people have died, and many vehicles and businesses were set alight and destroyed.

The state of emergency in New Caledonia imposed by France is expected to last another week. Australia issued a travel advisory urging people not to travel. Before the pandemic, New Caledonia welcomed about 300,000 cruise guests from Australia annually.