Initiated by police southern district operations manager Inspector Alastair Dickie, the plan is expected to be completed by the start of the next cruise ship season in October.
Apart from Milford Sound, no other part of the New Zealand coast is understood to be covered by a plan dealing with a major cruise ship incident.
Since work began on the Otago plan, two cruise ships have struck problems - one in the Mediterranean capsizing with loss of life and one in the Indian Ocean breaking down after a fire.
Insp Dickie hoped emergency services would never have to deal with similar incidents off the Otago coast.
"But you have to start off with some sort of plan, otherwise people are running around like headless chooks trying to decide where the starting point is."
Cruise ship visits to Port Chalmers increased from 25 in 2003 to 80 this season and he was aware Port Otago shared his concern that no emergency plan was in place.
The 50-page draft plan has input from the Otago Regional Council, Dunedin City Council, civil defence, New Zealand Fire Service, St John, Southern District Health Board, Port Otago, police land and marine search and rescue and Otago Coastguard.
Insp Dickie said the work was being done "just when we can".
"We don't have any full-time planners, so we're just building on it."
The draft plan lists "full emergency" situations as sinking, fire, evacuation of passengers for medical reasons, bomb threats and terrorist threats.
And it considers scenarios where evacuation of a cruise ship might be necessary, including:
• An extreme weather event seriously affecting the vessel in or near the Otago Harbour entrance.
• Grounding of the vessel in the harbour channel area resulting in serious listing.
• An improvised explosive device situation.
• Fire.
Insp Dickie said it would be a "massive job" if emergency services were called on to evacuate a cruise ship.
"So there is a need for pre-planning."
Discussions had not yet been held with cruise ship companies, but he was aware ships had "very good plans" to deal with emergencies on board.
"But should a grounding occur, if one of the ships strikes rocks or whatever, it'll be a totally different kettle of fish."
Asked if Otago had the resources for a mass evacuation, he said, "That's questionable."
In an emergency, police would be the lead agency, with oversight from the Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Wellington.
"We just need to consider how we are going to set up the management structure if an emergency arises . . . how we are going to convey people from the ship if it has to be evacuated."
The Otago Daily Times asked Maritime New Zealand, responsible for the Rescue Co-ordination Centre, to explain how it would deal with a cruise ship emergency off the Otago coast at Brighton or at Puysegur Point, on the south coast.
Official information co-ordinator Lindsay Eaton said MNZ did not have "specific plans" for mass rescue operations at these points but would use the internationally recognised International Aviation and Maritime Search and Rescue Manual.
"The plans for an initial response are, however, in place," Mr Eaton said.
