Brisbane’s new cruise ship terminal is to open by late 2019, after it was given the green light last week.
Capable of berthing the largest cruise ships, the new terminal will be built at Luggage Point at the entrance to the Brisbane River.
More than 320 cruise ships berthed in Brisbane in 2016 and this figure is set to grow as Queensland’s international tourism figures increase.
After almost 18 months of negotiations, Queensland Premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, Treasurer, Curtis Pitt and Tourism Minister, Kate Jones, travelled to the Port of Brisbane to formally announce the Queensland government had given the Aus$158 mill project approval to start.
During construction, 245 jobs will be created and a smaller number of people will be employed at the new cruise ship terminal.
Minister Jones said planners predicted 275,000 tourists would disembark each year after the terminal was completed.
The Timeline is:
Work at Luggage Point begins November, 2017
Wharf construction begins mid-2018
Terminal construction begins October 2018
Terminal is 9,300 sq m over two levels
Connected to ships by two ‘air bridges’
Large viewing areas over ships entering the port
Waste at nearby Luggage Point waste facility will be dosed by magnesium hydroxide to neutralise odours.
The need for a new terminal was driven by the private sector – mainly by cruise lines Royal Caribbean International and Carnival Cruises, in a partnership with the Port of Brisbane Authority.
