The fishing vessel carrying coronavirus-infected mariners is set to dock in Wellington next week.
Viking Bay, which has 20 people on board, is to dock at the Queens Wharf in Wellington on Monday.
Customs' group manager maritime Stephen Waugh says the process will carry very low public health risk.
"The crew will be transported at a time that will minimise the risk of coming into contact with members of the public," he says.
"Customs will maintain presence at the port throughout the operation, with the support of additional security personnel, and the Police Maritime Unit maintaining watch over the water."
Perimeter fencing will cordon off the area where the Viking Bay will dock to remove public access, with the authorities stepping up security at the wharf and on-water patrols.
All Government and CentrePort staff that interact with the vessel or crew are vaccinated, and will work in line with health and safety protocols including IPC and PPE requirements.
All 20 crew members will undergo a comprehensive health check, including testing, on arrival.
Most of them will then be transported securely to a Managed Isolation and Quarantine facility to complete at least 14 days in managed isolation. A small number of crew will complete their isolation period on board to meet the maritime safety requirements.
Daily health checks will be carried out for the crew members that remain on board, and the vessel will undergo a deep clean at the end of the 14 day isolation period.
