A US company is set to build Darwin’s half-billion-dollar ship lift

After almost a decade, a significant announcement is expected Tuesday morning on the ship lift project. Read what it is.

Almost a decade after it was first-flagged - and a fortnight after the NT News announced the preferred builder - the NT government is finally expected to announce Pearlson Shiplift Corporation will develop Darwin’s ship lift.

Chief Minister Eva Lawler is expected to make the announcement on Tuesday morning alongside representatives from Pearlson and development consortium Clough-BMD.

The NT News reported exclusively in April that United States company Pearlson Shiplift had been awarded the ship lift contract.

The Miami, Florida-based company won the contract ahead of Norwegian-based Syncrolift and US-based Bardex Corporation, both of which had local industry participation in their proposals.

Schematic design for Darwin’s Shiplift

Both tenderers were advised last month their bids had been unsuccessful.

There is frustration among some members of the NT’s business community who are concerned that Territory businesses and suppliers could miss-out on the opportunities resulting from the $515m project.

In the NT News’ April story announcing the ship lift contract, a local businessman expressed fury at Pearlson’s failure to engage with the local community in the lead up to and during the tender process.

“I do not know one local business that has spoken to Pearlson,” he said. “My suspicion is it is 100 per cent overseas.”

The timing of the awarding of the $400m tender just months out from the NT election is no guarantee work on the project will commence or conclude on time.

The ship lift project was first flagged by then chief minister Adam Giles in 2015 and was adopted by Territory Labor, which won government the following year.

Since then, Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro said the Labor government had done 37 press releases and photo opportunities around the project, without so-much as a sod being turned.

A workforce of about 250 people will build the ship lift with about 100 workers onsite through the process. It will be 26m wide and 103m long, with capacity to lift 5500 tonne vessels.

Originally published as A US company is set to build Darwin’s half-billion-dollar ship lift