Cairns maritime sector pleads for progress on new shiplift facility
Critical marine infrastructure to propel Cairns’ economy, develop new business opportunities and boost employment is driving the Far North maritime sector’s plea to the state government to commit to the next step for the project.
Cairns
Don't miss out on the headlines from Cairns. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Critical new marine infrastructure to propel Cairns’ economy, develop new business opportunities and boost employment is driving the Far North maritime sector’s plea to the state government to commit to the next step for the project.
But the LNP has yet to chart a course for the long-awaited common user facility, with “no timeline” set for when a business case will be put forward by Ports North.
Featuring a 5000 tonne shiplift, the long-delayed proposal estimated to cost about $400m would attract big contracts to service vessels from across the Pacific, Tropical Reef Shipyard business development manager Andrew Wagner said.
“The shiplift opens us up to a whole new market,” Mr Wagner said. “The UK and French navy have vessels in that range which we could service.”
Sailors eager to spend time on dry land while their ships are serviced had the potential to energise the city, Mr Wagner said.
“Bringing in navy boats is fantastic,” he said.
“They typically have all this money to spend and they want to spend it. So it’s great for the entire economy. At the moment, we’re turning those boats away every day.”
Mr Wagner said he was eager to meet with Member for Mulgrave, Terry James, and Member for Barron River, Bree James, later this week.
The Far North MPs’ tour of the proposed site in Portsmith has been rescheduled on three separate occasions.
“I think it’s just because the Treasurer (David Janetzki) was coming up (to Cairns this week),” Mr Wagner said. “Terry and Bree apologised, so we understand.
“Business is business and you get on with it. It’s not a big deal. We just want to make sure everyone understands the opportunity ahead of us.”
While in Cairns earlier this week, Treasurer David Janetzki refused to put a timeline on a key report to be handed down by Ports North on the future of the CUF.
“We’ve seen an extraordinary cost blowout of $387m to north of $600m under the former government,” Mr Janetzki said.
“It’s appropriate that Ports North goes away and does the work. Once that’s done, further consideration will be given to the way forward.”
Mr Wagner said he appreciated the logistical challenges to build the CUF were significant.
“It takes time,” he said. “There’s a lot of engineering that has to be done and perhaps that’s where some of the costs were overlooked.
“We are building on mud, so it’s something of an engineering feat to get it done.”
Tropical Reef Shipyard employs a core group of more than 100 staff year-round, with numbers swelling to over 250 workers during surge periods.
More Coverage
Originally published as Cairns maritime sector pleads for progress on new shiplift facility
Cairns weather takes a chilly turn for the school holidays
Far North has recorded lower than average temperatures across the past week, as tourists flock to the region for school holidays.
Two cows killed, two people hospitalised in crash
Five people — including three children — have been taken to hospital after a car crashed into livestock on a rural road in the Atherton Tablelands, killing one cow and leaving another to be euthanized.