State government plots additional Sydney harbour terminal at Yarra Bay or Molineaux Point.
The NSW government has this morning released a new Cruise Development Plan, which has been developed in consultation with stakeholders in the Cruise Industry Reference Group.
A terminal at Garden Island is “not a viable option,” the government said, with NSW Treasury and the Port Authority of NSW to instead develop a Strategic Business Case for additional sites including at Molineaux Point and Yarra Bay.
As well, “the NSW Government will work with industry to identify solutions to maximise capacity at Sydney’s two existing cruise terminals in Sydney harbour, while also working with partners to support growth in key regions such as Eden, Newcastle and Port Kembla,” said NSW Minister for Tourism and Major Events, Adam Marshall.
Federal Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Steven Ciobo, said the national government would also work with NSW on the Strategic Business Case.
The plan envisages looking at options to maximise the number of passengers accessing the existing Overseas Passenger Terminal including a booking system, continuing to maximise use of berths at White Bay, exploring transport improvements to the existing terminals and “investigating opportunities to remove regulatory barriers to entry for emerging cruise markets, including the expedition cruise market”.
The full plan can be viewed at industry.nsw.gov.au/cruise.
CLIA Australia chair Sture Myrmell welcomed the plan, saying the industry would work constructively with the NSW government.
“Our industry has been advocating for a solution to Sydney’s infrastructure constraints for some years and having a clear plan of action with the NSW Government is a step forward to achieve greater certainty and a platform for growth,” Myrmell said.
More information in Tuesday’s issue of Cruise Weekly.