Brisbane’s cruise business is set for a major shake-up, with the city set to have a new cruise terminal operating at Luggage Point in the second quarter of 2020.
The Port of Brisbane and Carnival Australia have shaken hands on a deal which was subject to a lengthy review by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
The pair reached a commercial agreement which will see Carnival Australia committed to purchase a maximum of 100 “foundation” berthing days of no more than four in any week for 15 years, to underwrite the construction of the new terminal.
In exchange, Carnival Australia would receive priority berthing rights.
Carnival Australia and P&O Cruises Australia president Sture Myrmell said the new terminal was a “win-win” for cruising as well as 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 with ships too large to use existing facilities at Portside,” Myrmell said.
Carnival Cruise Line will deploy Carnival Spirit to the new terminal, with the vessel becoming the brand’s first to home port in Brisbane.
Carnival Spirit will sail year-round from Brisbane to the archipelagos of Vanuatu and New Caledonia, as well as offer shorter cruises to destinations in North Queensland.
Cruising heavyweight Royal Caribbean Cruises has welcomed the project, noting it had always supported the Port of Brisbane’s Luggage Point Cruise Terminal.
“We are looking forward to providing our guests with the improved facilities the terminal will bring,” Gavin Smith, senior vice president of international for Royal Caribbean Cruises said. “We will also evaluate the merits of future home based cruising from Brisbane — as we do with all new cruise terminals and which, of course, we have done in the past with Brisbane-based Legend of the Seas.”
