43b88f077718c632603d7c33c89bf183

Brisbane will have a new $158 million cruise terminal in two years after a deal was reached between Port of Brisbane and Carnival Australia.

It is expected the Brisbane International Cruise Terminal at Luggage Point, near the city’s airport, will be operational by mid-2020.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission gave conditional approval for the project last month and both parties have now agreed to terms of the deal.

The BICT is expected to contribute $5 billion to the Queensland economy over the next 15 years.

“The decision means Port of Brisbane will now get on with the job of building the terminal, which is a key plank of Queensland’s tourism growth story,” said PBPL chief executive Roy Cummins.

As a result of the decision, Carnival Australia, whose brands include P&O, Princess Cruises and Carnival Cruises, has announced one of its ships, Carnival Spirit, will become the operator’s first to home port in Brisbane.

Currently, cruise ships berth at the Brisbane Cruise Terminal on the river at Portside, Hamilton, with ships longer than 270m forced to dock at the city’s unattractive cargo facilities.

President of Carnival Australia and P&O Cruises Australia, Sture Myrmell, described the new terminal as a “win-win” for cruising and the Queensland economy. “It means Brisbane can take its place on the world cruising map for some of the globe’s most iconic cruise lines … The terminal will be a major piece of national infrastructure and the single most important investment in cruise tourism in Queensland in 12 years,” Mr Myrmell said.

Queensland Transport Minister Mark Bailey said the project would support an average of 245 jobs a year during construction period, and would add 49 operational jobs each year over the next 20 years.

The cruise industry currently contributes $1bn to the state economy through fees and charges, purchase of fresh produce and passenger spend.

Source: theaustralian.com.au