WELLINGTON (Reuters) – New Zealand would allow entry of maritime vessels into the country where there was a compelling need, the government said in a statement on Friday.

Border restrictions will also not apply to replacement cargo ship crew arriving in New Zealand by air and transferring straight to a cargo ship set to leave its shores.

Most maritime journeys to New Zealand take more than 14 days, so crew and others will self-isolate en route, and won’t impact the country’s quarantine capacity, the statement said.

New Zealand removed all coronavirus restrictions this week and has declared it has no active cases.