A ship that's been sitting out in the harbour for more than a week is no cause for concern, says the Port of Tauranga.

An Arataki resident contacted SunLive about the vessel – called the Messina Strait – wondering what it was waiting for.

One of the last ships to idle off the coast in such a manner was the Molat, which was denied entry to New Zealand by the Ministry of Primary Industries over concerns surrounding its palm kernel cargo.

A spokesperson for the Port of Tauranga says the Messina Strait is a different situation.

'It's going to dump some containers here at some stage. There's nothing untoward, just changing its course and going somewhere else. Its containers aren't required here just yet, so it's just waiting before it starts a different run. They came in before Christmas and changed crew.”

It's believed the cargo is simply empty containers.

'As far as we know after this stop they're off to Singapore to look for more work.”