NEPTUNE Pacific Direct Line has cancelled the Cronus 001N voyage to Norfolk Island, scheduled to depart on 14 July.

The company said it had been engaging with a third-party barge operator for three months to inject additional capacity to the island.

“The Cronus 001N was to depart Thursday 14 July, however, we have had to make the decision to cancel [the] voyage due to risks associated with discharge to the island,” the company said in a notice to shippers.

“While there is one lighter operational at time of writing, this vessel could not adequately discharge all the booked cargo. Furthermore, the risks associated should the lighter vessel become out of commission prior or during discharge operations are too great for NPDL to absorb without support from local partners.”

NPDL said the cancellation of the voyage comes despite “significant” effort.

“We remain committed to the Norfolk community and will continue to engage with all partners to [support] shipping services through 2022 and beyond,” the company said.