$400m Darwin ship lift gets the all-clear for construction to begin

WORK on the $400m ship lift facility at East Arm Port can now start, with contractual close of the loan from the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) to finance the project completed

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WORK on the $400m ship lift facility at East Arm Port can now start, with contractual close of the loan from the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) to finance the project completed.

The ship lift will support about 100 jobs during construction and about 187 ongoing jobs once the project is operating.

It will open the door for Darwin to become a major ship maintenance hub.

The ship lift was a prominent topic of discussion during the recent Queensland election with Cairns competing to become the ship maintenance hub of North Australia.

Darwin’s ship lift will operate on a commercial basis and is estimated to return about $260m a year into the local economy when it’s operating.

Construction is due to start early next year with the ship lift to be operational in 2023.

An artist’s impression of Darwin’s planned $400m ship lift at East Arm. Work on the project can now begin. Picture: Supplied

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Assistant Minister for Northern Australia Michelle Landry and Northern Territory Deputy Chief Minister Nicole Manison oversaw the contractual close in Darwin, marking a key landmark for the $400m project.

“The ship lift and associated Marine Industries Facility will enable large vessels to be serviced and repaired in Darwin, further boosting the Northern Territory’s reputation and location as a key port for export destinations to the north,” Ms Landry said.

“When it is operating, the ship lift will be capable of servicing vessels involved in the offshore petroleum, fishing and pearling industries, as well as Defence and Australian Border Force vessels.”

Minister for Northern Australia Keith Pitt said the finance for the ship lift project will build on the capacity of Darwin’s port to service maritime industries and will strengthen Darwin’s role as a hub for trade with our trading partners.

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“Since its inception, NAIF has committed more than $2.4 billion in projects across northern

Australia, supporting around 8,000 jobs, and has reached financial close on $1.1 billion of

projects across the north,” he said.

“In the Northern Territory, NAIF has made offers of finance worth $857 million including

funding for the Charles Darwin University’s new campus, expansions of the Humpty Doo

Barramundi farm, and helping to deliver upgrades across Northern Territory airports.”