©MarineTraffic
The new strategy to bring more cruise ships to Taranaki by 2028 is slowly starting to pay off.
MarineTraffic data shows five passenger vessels have called at Taranaki (New Plymouth) port over the last four years. With seven cruise ships visiting in 2023/2024 the port reached a new record high. The stated goal is “28 in 2028” – 28 luxury liners are expected to visit Taranaki in 2028. The most popular ship will arrive on 28 December 2023: The Queen Elizabeth.
On the other hand, Auckland, the main cruise ship port in New Zealand, is finally experiencing a comeback. AIS data shows that the port is approaching the number of cruise ships it had before COVID-19, and this season is the busiest in three years, with 48 arrivals compared to 41 in 2019. After Auckland, the top ports for cruise ship arrivals in 2023 in New Zealand are Wellington (39) and Port Chalmers (37).
Aside from cruise ship activity, Port Taranaki is one of 14 major sea ports in New Zealand, which account for 99.7 per cent of New Zealand’s exports. Kpler data indicates that the top exports by product from Taranaki port this year are alcohol, condensates, and crude.
The opinions expressed herein are the author’s and not necessarily those of News2Sea.
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