The Port of Brisbane has confirmed plans to set aside about 20 hectares on the northern side of the Brisbane River to allow for the construction of a new facility to cater for mega-cruise ships.
Spokesperson Peter Keyte said the proposal was still in its early stages, and was subject to public comment and government approval.
It would be up to the state government to decide who would build the facility and how it would be financed, he added.
Currently, only ships smaller than 270m in length can dock at the Hamilton Portside terminal because of a lack of room to manoeuvre, with bigger vessels forced to dock at the Fisherman Island grain terminal.
“Fisherman Island is a heavy industrial area and cruise ship passengers and ships don’t mix,” Keyte was quoted as saying in the Courier Mail yesterday.
The proposed new location is ideal given its proximity to Brisbane Airport and the Air Train.
Keyte said the site would be included in upcoming planned amendments to the Brisbane Port Land Use Plan.
Thirty-five large ships docked at Fisherman’s Island in 2014.
