Coral Expeditions has shelved port calls at Darwin for the immediate future from its Australian program in response to new legislation on expedition cruising in the Northern Territory that was revealed late last week.

According to ‘The Principles of Expedition Cruising in the Northern Territory’, a maximum capacity of 100 people – for crew and guests combined – has been introduced on vessels operating from the NT capital’s port.

The ruling has repercussions for Coral Adventurer and the brand-new Coral Geographer, both of which have a capacity of 99 passengers, and up to 48 crew, and are scheduled to operate some sailings from Darwin.

However, the conditions do not impact Coral Expeditions’ Coral Discoverer, which has a capacity of 72 passengers and operates with 23 crew, enabling the ship to fall within the guidelines of the new ruling. Coral Discoverer will continue to operate across the Kimberley and Cape York as scheduled.