The following release was published by Maersk:
As a result of the continued weather disruptions in New Zealand, we will be implementing a change to our Polaris service operating on our Intra-Oceania network. Effective from April 30th 2024, we will operate the Polaris service on a four week proforma, while maintaining three vessels on the service.
The Polaris service will have a blank sailing once every four weeks, for four cycles, to increase the schedule buffer. This change will minimise disruptions from weather related events and improve predictability of your supply chain.
During the four weeks of schedule gaps, we will be offering you alternative solutions on our comprehensive network where feasible to keep your supply chain moving.
Melbourne to New Zealand: Melbourne to New Zealand cargo will be routed on the OC1 and PANZ services offering two weekly departures from Melbourne to New Zealand during the weeks the Polaris have a schedule gap.
Nelson Exports and Imports: cargo to/from Nelson will have a one week schedule gap and continue to load on the Polaris service.
We will continue to keep you updated on any further adjustments to the Oceania service schedules, as we continue to operate an agile network to enable the New Zealand supply chain.
Should you have any questions on how these changes will impact your cargo, please feel free to reach out to your local Customer Experience Team via our Live Chat channel, alternatively refer to the following links for more details:
Source: Maersk