| Australia needs to up its port efforts

Australia needs to upgrade port
facilities if it is to compete with
Asian ports for cruise line’s
business, according to ceo of
Carnival Australia, Ann Sherry.
SPEAKING in the wake of the opening of
Singapore’s brand new international cruise
terminal over the weekend, Sherry said
“Australia is currently the world’s fastest
growing cruise market but we can’t take this
success for granted by ignoring the major
developments that are taking place in Asia”.
Singapore now joins Hong Kong and
Shanghai as one of three major Asian cities
where authorities have invested in building
new port facilities in a bid to draw more cruise
business.
“Cruising in Australia has enjoyed double
digit annual growth for seven consecutive
years including 2011 when nearly 625,000
Australians took a cruise holiday, 34% more
than in the previous year,” Sherry said.
“However, such spectacular growth can’t be
taken for granted because infrastructure gaps
at ports including Sydney, Brisbane and Cairns
remain the greatest threat to the continued
growth of the local cruise industry,” she added.
Looking at the competition, at present,
Shanghai Port International Cruise Terminal
has been progressively under construction
since 2004, and can now accommodate three
cruise ships at a time; whilst Singapore’s newly
opened Marina Bay Cruise Terminal measures
28,000-square metres and has effectively
doubled Singapore’s berth capacity.
Meanwhile Hong Kong’s new terminal is set
to open in mid 2013 and will be able to
accommodate up to two megaliners at the
same time.
“While cruise complexes in Asia are of much
greater size and scale than contemplated for
Australian ports, it is important to understand
that high quality facilities will give Asia a
competitive edge in making the most of the
economic opportunities that cruising
presents,” Sherry said.
In terms of key Australian sites, Sherry said
that the need to upgrade port facilities in Sydney
is particularly urgent, “because of its key role
as a cruise hub for Australia and the region”.
“Carnival Australia continues to advocate a
three-berth solution for Sydney Harbour – the
proposed White Bay cruise terminal, the
upgrade of the Overseas Passenger Terminal
and shared use of Garden Island,” she added.