Cruise ships forced to drop anchor in Sydney Harbour reignite calls for new terminal

Passengers were forced to enter Circular Quay via lifeboats after an impromptu stop. It has exposed Sydney’s lack of terminals, resulting in something ‘you expect to see at Pacific island destinations, not in Sydney Harbour”

Sydney’s lack of cruise terminals has been embarrassingly exposed by a cyclone striking Queensland which has reignited calls for a new cruise terminal in Sydney Harbour.

Cruise ship Carnival Luminosa was forced to make an impromptu stop at Sydney on Tuesday with wild weather striking north Queensland preventing it from travelling to Airlie Beach.

With the Overseas Passenger Terminal – the only site capable of taking major cruise ships unable to fit under the Harbour Bridge – full, the ship berthed at Athol Bay, with tourists ferried into Circular Quay using lifeboats.

According to the Port Authority of NSW’s bookings, at least 14 other ships are due to berth on Athol Bay before the end of March, despite the NSW Government stating Sydney’s current terminals aren’t at capacity.

On January 2, two ships are booked to be berthed at White Bay, with another at the Overseas Passenger Terminal and another anchored at Athol Bay.

Carnival Luminosa at Athol Bay on Tuesday. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

Business Sydney’s executive director Paul Nicolaou said Tuesday’s impromptu stopover for the Carnival Cruise Ship highlighted the need for another major terminal east of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

“Cruise ship passengers getting to shore using a ship’s lifeboats is something you would expect to see at Pacific island destinations but not in Sydney Harbour,” he said.

“The Brisbane-based Carnival Luminosa is in Sydney today due to special circumstances having diverted away from the cyclone in Queensland’s far north.

“However, its unscheduled call highlights the need for another cruise ship berth in Sydney Harbour. Between now and the end of March, more than 10 cruise ships will have to anchor in Athol Bay because no berth is available.”

A cruise ship docked at Sydney Harbour on Tuesday. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

Transport Minister Jo Haylen in October ruled out the NSW Government pursuing using Garden Island to accommodate cruise ships during peak season, due to the presence of the navy.

“We know that Garden Island has been on the table for a long time but the fact is, it is not practical,” she said then.

Business Sydney executive director Paul Nicolaousaid it shouldn’t happen in Sydney Harbour. Picture: Richard Dobson

A spokesman for Jo Haylen said there is no shortage. Picture: Monique Harmer

A spokesman for the transport Minister maintained the terminals weren’t at capacity.

“Sydney terminals have not reached capacity for cruise bookings at this point in time, but Port Authority is exploring alternate locations for a third terminal to cater for the expected long-term growth of cruise in NSW,” he said.

Fourteen more ships are booked to drop anchor at Athol Bay, near Taronga Zoo, before April. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

He added Tuesday’s unplanned stop would have generated “thousands of dollars of unplanned revenue for the Sydney economy”.

Mr Nicolaou said the coming months should lead to Garden Island being included in the debate about a new cruise terminal going forward, with the NSW Government currently examining other options across the state.

“Business Sydney has long advocated for cruise ships to have shared access to Garden Island during the peak summer cruise season,” Mr Nicolaou said.

“If these arrangements were in place, Carnival Luminosa could have berthed there today instead of having to do a Pacific Islands-style tender operation in the middle of the harbour.”

An October report on the income generated by the cruise industry in 2022-2023 showed NSW’s share of the cruise industry had decreased by 14.5 per cent, while Queensland’s had grown by 10.1 per cent.

Originally published as Cruise ships forced to drop anchor in Sydney Harbour reignite calls for new terminal