| ACA Update – 3 March 16 : Future Ports

A $100M “mega ship” facility is in
the planning stages by the Port of
Brisbane Pty Ltd (PBPL).
The terminal, proposed for the
mouth of the Brisbane River, is
being developed to meet the
global trend to superliners.
By 2020, 62% of cruise vessels in
the Aussie market are expected to
be over 270m in length.
A Demand Study Update has
been commissioned by Ports
North to forecast the increased
number of cruise ship visits to
Cairns along with the emerging
changes in the cruise industry
again including increased vessel
length.
In Tasmania, significant upgrades
are being undertaken to improve
capacity at the ports of Hobart
and Burnie. Both projects will be
completed by October for the
2016/17 cruise season when 89
cruise vessels are booked to arrive
– up from 55 last season.
In NSW, the State Government’s
Cruise Development Plan
has begun that will take into
consideration the development of
a third berth in Sydney which now
receives almost one third of all
cruise ships that berth in Australia.
Work has also started on a $1.2m
shaded walkway that will allow
passengers to stroll from the
Cruise Ship Terminal to the Darwin
Waterfront Precinct in comfort,
to be completed mid-2016. The
walkway will cater for a growing
cruise industry in the Top End
which currently delivers around
70,000 passengers a year.
ACA welcomes this
infrastructure boom as it heralds
exciting times ahead for the
Australian cruise industry.

CONTRIBUTOR: Jill Abel, CEO, Australian Cruise Association