Westerdam cruise ship docks at Darwin prompting calls for bigger terminals

The 11-storey Westerdam cruise ship has docked in Darwin, delivering almost 2000 passengers and 800 crew into the Top End. But the massive economic boost could be better with more infrastructure.

Extra infrastructure including a new cruise ship terminal and better transport connections into the CBD are needed to maximise the benefits of the potentially lucrative tourist cohort.

Welcoming the arrival of the 11-storey Westerdam liner into Darwin this morning, Tourism and Hospitality Minister Nicole Manison said pre-Covid, cruise passengers contributed $60m a year to the Territory economy.

She said between October and April up to 50,000 passengers would sail into Darwin on a cruise ship.

The Territory government’s 2022-25 cruise ship strategy identified shortfalls in cruise ship infrastructure including that Darwin Cruise Ship terminal was only capable of berthing one large vessel at a time.

Speaking Thursday after greeting passengers disembarking the Westerdam, Tourism Top End general manager Glen Hingley said the vessel was the equivalent of 15 commercial 737-aircraft landing in Darwin.

Tourism Top End's Glen Hingley and Tourism and Hospitality Minister Nicole Manison in front of the Westerdam, an almost 2000-passenger cruiser on its maiden voyage to Darwin.

“When we have cruise ships, especially at this time of year in a Top End summer, it’s our visitor economy that thrives,” he said.

“When we have the right ships and the right support from local government it’s the retailers that thrive, it’s the bars, it’s the hospitality operators, the tourism operators the employees and of course the small business owners.

“All those people are residents of Darwin and without ships like this coming in this time of year it would be a lot quieter than what it is.”

Mr Hingley said he hoped the cruise sector would be back to pre-Covid levels next year.

“One of the things we can be sure about is the satisfaction rating customers give cruise ships when they arrive and depart Darwin, they rate us one of the most enjoyable destinations around Australia and we’ve got to maintain and build on that.

“We do constantly look at our facilities because one of the challenges the local terminal has is it has Australia Border Force and Customs in attendance because for a lot of these ships Darwin is their first port from overseas into Australia or they’re departing from here.

“There’s international obligations that need to take place and certainly the current terminal, while it does really well today, when we think about what we need in the future we need to be thinking bigger.

Passengers and crew disembark at Darwin. Picture GLENN CAMPBELL

“The other thing we need to be thinking about is the infrastructure between the port and the CBD.

“While we are in good proximity, we can do a much better job in being able to get those people transported from here to up there and enable retailers, hospitality and tourism industry to thrive.

“Transport is a key one and how we deal with the transport to make it as easy as we can.

“If we look at the ages of passengers today, some are in their 20s and some in their 80s.

“We certainly need better transport aids, affordable transport and we need to utilise the facilities that are already in the CBD such as the cruise ship terminal shuttle-bus shelter.”

Ms Manison said cruise ships delivered tens of thousands of extra visitors to the Top End at traditionally quiet times for Top End tourism.

“We love it when a new cruise ship visits Darwin because we know it means thousands of people from around the world get to see our beautiful city,” she said.

“And in our traditionally quieter months, it gives our retailers a bump in sales, puts diners in our restaurants and brings tourists to our experienced operators.

“A thriving tourism market all year round, boosted by our cruise ship visitors, means a strong industry and well-paying jobs for Territorians.”

The Westerdam sailed from New Zealand and headed up Australia’s east coast, its last port before Darwin in Cairns.

The 11-storey, five-star liner has nearly 2000 passengers and 800 crew on board. It was Westerdam’s first journey to Darwin.

Originally published as Westerdam cruise ship docks at Darwin prompting calls for bigger terminals