A MAN was rescued and flown to hospital by helicopter after falling ill on a cruise ship east of Newcastle.
The palatial cruise ship, Seven Seas Explorer, left Newcastle Harbour just after 6pm on Saturday after sailing through the Nobbys Heads as the city's first cruise visit of the new year.
Hours earlier, while the vessel was 12 nautical miles east of the city at about 1.30am, the Westpac Rescue Helicopter was tasked to the ship.
The chopper's critical care medical team was winched onto the ship and treated a man in his 30s for a "serious medical condition".
The crewman was winched onto the helicopter and flown to John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle.
A Hunter New England Health spokesperson confirmed the man remained in hospital on Monday and was in a serious but stable condition.
The colossal 224-metre vessel spent the day docked at the Carrington berths on Saturday as passengers alighted to visit the region.
At capacity, the ship sails with more than 1200 souls on board; 548 crew members catering to 746 guests on 10 decks and accommodated in 373 suites.
At the height of luxury aboard, the vessel offers a 281-square metre two-bedroom 'regent suite' complete with 131 metres of balcony, a marble stone bathroom, private solarium and a Steinway grand piano in the living room.
Business Hunter boss Bob Hawes was out in town on Saturday morning as the cruise arrived and a handful of coaches carried alighting passengers through the city. He said the arrival of a cruise always added an atmosphere to the place.
"Some of the visitors might go up to Port Stephens, some head out to the vineyards, and others might even visit the major shopping centres," he said, "And I think the community get a bit of a feel about it because the city always takes on a bit of a vibe when the cruise ships arrive."
The Explorer's berth comes after a rocky few years for Newcastle's cruise economy as the industry recovers from the impacts of the COVID pandemic that ground tourism to a halt and the stand-off that ultimately scuppered plans to build a dedicated cruise terminal in Newcastle in 2019.
The terminal project had been in doubt for months, the Newcastle Herald reported in April that year, when the state government finally withdrew more than $12 million in funding, effectively killing the endeavour.
A stand-off had emerged almost a year earlier between the Port of Newcastle and the state over less than $4 million in extra funding, which the Port had said it needed to complete the build.
Within months, the government ruled out spending more on the project, deepening a stoush that local tourism advocates said had damaged the city's standing in the cruise industry at the time.
The ship's weekend visit also managed to include a twist of drama, with emergency services called in to help a crew member.
Nevertheless, Mr Hawes said at the weekend that the lack of dedicated visitor infrastructure had clearly not stopped the boats from coming, forecasting that Newcastle's visitation rate could double as the state government seeks to expand Newcastle's cruise business, led by the NSW Port Authority.
"The Port Authority is quite ambitious about visit numbers this year, which is (about 18)," Mr Hawes said, "The prospects for Newcastle are far greater than we see now; I think we could see up to 30 vessels."
The industry has since seen a steady resurgence in optimism, as the Port Authority noted the 18 visits to Newcastle in 2024 represented a slight increase on the 14 from the previous period, with projections for 17 in 2025 according to its latest cruise schedule.
In October, the season was touted as the biggest since the pandemic, with 331 total cruise calls into ports across the state, up 16 per cent on the previous summer, the Port Authority said.
The Port Authority signed a new 10-year licensing agreement with the Port of Newcastle in the same month, with projections for more transit cruise ship visits into the Hunter and Central Coast region.
"Newcastle has a long and proud history of welcoming cruise passengers for almost two decades of cruise seasons," Port Authority boss John McKenna said.
"This new licence agreement is great news for Newcastle and surrounding regions as more transit cruise visits will provide opportunities for local tourism and hospitality operators, boosting the local economy.
"Under the new licence agreement, Port Authority will facilitate cruise operations at a Port of Newcastle owned berth."
The Explorer was the first vessel to arrive in the new year and will be followed by the Insignia, Silver Shadow, Coral Princess, and Borealis in February.
The Port Authority's schedule includes 41 vessels slated to sail through the Carrington berths, beginning with the Explorer this weekend, projecting to August 2026.
"If we do get a greater number of vessels, I think it would also add impetus for looking at how we improve our visitor economy infrastructure," Mr Hawes said, "It is a real prospect to add horsepower to the idea of improving out that infrastructure and to show better hospitality and meet the needs of a diversity of visits."
