Not only will the project
proceed, says the mayor, the
city may end up with two or
three cruise ship terminals.
MAYOR Tom Tate has no doubt in his mind:
cruising is coming to the Gold Coast.
In an interview with Cruise Weekly, Tate
confirmed that the plan to build cruise ship
facilities on Wavebreak Island
was “full steam ahead”,
despite the withdrawal of a
Singaporean developer.
According to media reports
on the weekend, Sembawang
scrapped its bid for the $4.9
billion “super resort” on
Wavebreak Island, which was
proposed to include two
cruise ship terminals (as
pictured at right), but Tate
clarified that the project was
yet to go out to international
tender.
“Just because Sembawang pulled out doesn’t
mean it’s all over,” the mayor said.
“The race hasn’t even started – we’re writing
the tender documentation now and will
hopefully have it out by the end of the year.
“My prediction is we’ll have ten serious
tenderers and it will definitely go ahead.”
Tate also suggested that another cruise ship
terminal could be built at a second location on
The Spit.
“Wavebreak is one option but it may take
until 2018 and I don’t want to wait that long,
so I’m also planning a cheaper option, just
north of SeaWorld Nara, which is very doable,”
he said.
“One terminal could be used for ‘boutique’
small ships and we could have the megaliners
at the other one.”
The proposed Gold Coast terminal, or
terminals, would be used for transit not
Gold Coast cruise terminal to go ahead
turnarounds, meaning cruises would not start
or finish in the city.
“We don’t want to be a home port as the
infrastructure is too expensive and we’re not
going to be competing with Brisbane,” Tate said.
Meanwhile, Carnival Australia CEO Ann
Sherry has advised that the Gold Coast would
be added to several of its itineraries if a
terminal was ready by September 2015 and
the dredging was sufficient.
“It’s still early days, but based on the
assurances of the Mayor, we are considering
the Gold Coast for both our local fleet and the
international brands that visit each year,”
Sherry said.
A Carnival Australia spokesperson also told
Cruise Weekly that it was providing Gold Coast
Council with operational details for the P&O
Cruises fleet, Diamond Princess and Queen
Mary 2, “so that the ships can be put through
a simulator activity to ensure the Gold Coast
channel can accommodate them”.
