Minns government searching for third cruise terminal site
A bumper 2023-24 cruise season which pumped more than $4.4bn into the NSW economy has spurred the Minns government into seeking a third terminal for the huge liners.
NSW
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Sydney will be home to a third major cruise terminal as the Minns government actively searches for Sydney Harbour sites to capitalise on a record 2023-24 cruise season, which pumped more than $4.4bn into the state’s economy.
The news comes after The Daily Telegraph last year campaigned for the Minns government to build a third terminal in Sydney, to boost the sector’s benefits for the state.
The hunt for the perfect location for the terminal will now begin, with deepwater areas around Sydney Harbour that do not require ships to fit underneath the Sydney Harbour Bridge being considered, as well as sites further afield, including Port Kembla near Wollongong.
It is understood the government has ruled out Newcastle and Garden Island near Potts Point, due to them being owned by the Australian Navy.
Transport Minister Jo Haylen has formed a Cruising Industry Advisory Panel – made up of cruiseliner executives and industry bodies and to be chaired by Port Authority chief executive Phil Holliday – which will work on identifying the best location.
The panel will also look at how the Overseas Passenger Terminal at Circular Quay could increase its capacity to host more cruise ships.
Ms Haylen said NSW needed a new terminal to give the cruising industry certainty and foster its long-term growth.
“NSW’s next permanent cruise terminal will be a massive new piece of infrastructure and we have to get it right,” she said.
“That’s why we’ve assembled the best people to find the best location, so we can grow our cruise industry long into the future.”
The Minns government’s move comes after Sydney’s record-breaking cruise season, which netted the NSW economy more than $4.4bn and created more than 13,700 jobs in the 2023-24 financial year, smashing pre-Covid records.
The figures, from Cruise Lines International Association’s (CLIA) report The Value of Cruise Tourism, showed the economic benefit outstripped the previous financial year by more than 60 per cent.
And the growth is set to continue over the summer, with 1.2 million passengers from 312 cruise ships set to sail into NSW ports.
Sydney continued to be the No.1 location for cruising holidays in the country, lapping up more than 50 per cent of the $8.4bn the nation gained from the industry.
CLIA managing director in Australasia Joel Katz said the huge jump in economic output was due to a massive increase in the number of ships berthing in the state.
“More ships are spending more days at port and that has driven a significant increase in passenger spending,” he said.
The average passenger spent around $455 a day, CLIA report found.
Business Sydney executive director Paul Nicolaou said a third terminal was critical, but stressed it should be within Sydney Harbour.
“The great news is that the bulk of the economic activity in NSW happens right here in Sydney,” he said.
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