A technical issue with cruise ship Norwegian Star has left it without propulsion 20 miles off Melbourne. Arrangements have been made to tow the ship to shore in order to complete all necessary repairs.

Norwegian Cruise Line statement:

During the early morning hours, Norwegian Star’s azipod propulsion system experienced a technical malfunction and the ship is currently without propulsion approximately 20 miles offshore near Melbourne, Australia. The ship has full power and all onboard services are fully operational. All guest amenities remain open and available and the weather conditions are favorable. The ship is in no danger whatsoever and the comfort and safety of our guests and crew are unaffected by this situation.

All of the appropriate authorities have been notified and arrangements have been made to tow the ship to shore in order to complete all necessary repairs.

Additional details on the ship’s itinerary for this current cruise that departed on February 6 from Sydney will be available once the ship arrives alongside and a technical team has assessed the repair timeline. All guests are welcome to stay onboard while the ship is docked and enjoy additional time exploring Melbourne and then continue onto Auckland on the revised itinerary once the repairs are complete. We expect the itinerary that commences in Auckland on February 18 to operate as originally scheduled.

Norwegian Cruise Line sincerely extends its deepest apologies to guests for the inconveniences that they have encountered. All guests onboard are being provided a full 100% refund, as well as a 50% future cruise credit. We thank our guests for their understanding and patience in this very unusual and unprecedented situation. While very rare, mechanical equipment malfunctions do occur and we assure our guests that our dedicated team on board is working tirelessly to deliver the absolute very best guest experience possible during this adjusted cruise.

Further information and updated itinerary details will be available once the ship returns to port.

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