Secrecy now shrouds negotiations over whether Auckland can find a berth for megaliner Ovation of the Seas on her maiden cruise late next year.
An artist's impression of 'Ovation of the Seas', which is being built in Germany. Photo: AAP
The Auckland Council has taken over negotiations after its port company on Friday insisted it couldn't host the ship, due to the cancelling of one of two controversial wharf extensions.
Royal Caribbean, the owner of the 5000-passenger liner, believes the visit could still go ahead after meeting with port and council representatives yesterday.
"Absolutely, after that meeting I believe Auckland will be a possibility," Royal Caribbean port captain Nik Antalis told Radio New Zealand.
"It was very positive, we put our requests and got the promise they will look at that, and come back with a final answer."
Under the initial proposal, the two sides of Bledisloe Wharf (foreground) would have been built 98 metres further into the harbour, with the port later hoping to reclaim the space between them. Photo: SUPPLIED / Ports of Auckland
Ovation of the Seas, which is still being finished in Germany, would be the largest liner to berth in Auckland, at a length of 348 metres.
Ports of Auckland caused a flurry in the local cruise sector on Friday with its statement that, without the 98-metre-long Bledisloe 3 extension, the Ovation of the Seas would not be able to visit.
The port company agreed to drop the extension after a four-week standoff with its council-owner, which wanted both extensions put on hold if the company couldn't justify them.
Industry lobby group Cruise New Zealand said Auckland could lose $12.4 million in business if it lost the four stopovers in the 2016/17 season. Each cruise would carry 5000 passengers.
Cruise New Zealand also warned that, without Auckland as the main changeover stop for passengers, the ship would probably also drop four other New Zealand port visits, losing the country $40 million.
Ports of Auckland would not comment after today's meeting, referring Radio New Zealand to Auckland Council's multi-agency City Centre Integration Group.
The group involves all the council agencies linked to the downtown harbour's edge: Waterfront Auckland, tourism and economic development agency ATEED and Auckland Transport.
A spokesperson for CCIG would not say how its role might make a visit possible, after Ports of Auckland insisted it could not give up the general cargo berth at Jellicoe Wharf to make room for the cruise liner.
Mr Antalis said Royal Caribbean needed an answer by the end of May, when it would announce the itinerary for Ovation's maiden cruise. He said, at present, publicity material referred only to New Zealand and not to specific ports.