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Brisbane’s $177 million International Cruise Terminal welcomes first ship

The first ship into the $177 million International Cruise Terminal of Brisbane (Queensland Australia) should have been P&O Australia 's 245-m-long Pacific Dawn (now Ambassador Ambience ) on October 3, 2020.

Instead, the first vessel to dock at the Brisbane International Cruise Ship Terminal is the Navy’s HMAS Choules, which is in Port Brisbane until Wednesday, September 1, after work in Cairns and Townsville QLD .

This was the ship and crew that rescued thousands of Australians crowded onto Victoria’s Mallacoota beach threatened by bushfires early January 2020.

The 16,000 GT HMAS Choules is 24 m wide, 176 m long, classed as an amphibious Landing Ship Dock, and commissioned by the Royal Australian Navy back in December 2011.

HMAS Choules docked in Brisbane Australia just before midday on Friday, August 27, and by early afternoon her 158 crew began a weekend’s shore leave.

The Brisbane International Cruise Terminal looks like an airport arrival/destination terminal, with full-length windows and a high-pitched, sloping roof. Portside will continue to dock smaller-to-medium cruise ships. Anything 270+ metres will dock at the new Brisbane International Cruise Terminal.

HMAS Choules docked at the Terminal because there were no alternative docking locations available. She is a multi-purpose Navy landing platform, able to carry up to 700 troops, 150 light trucks, and 23 Abrams tanks.

HMAS Choules ferried thousands stranded by Mallacoota bushfires in Victoria in January last year. The vessel is also a specialist mobile landing base for Navy helicopters such as the MRH-90 Taipan and MH-60R Seahawk and Australian Army’s S-70A Black Hawk, with a flight deck that can accommodate 2 large choppers. Between March 2013-April 2014 it clocked up 1000 deck landings of Blackhawks, Seahawk, and MRH-90 helicopters.

HMAS Choules departed her home port Garden Island WA in Sydney Australia in mid-June. Following the visit to the port of Brisbane, the ship and her crew will sail back to Sydney.

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What the New Cruise Ship Terminal Means for South East Queensland

The Queensland Government has approved the new $158 million Brisbane International Cruise Terminal at the mouth of the Brisbane River which will facilitate the world’s largest mega-cruise ships.

Along with the existing cruise terminal at Hamilton which caters for smaller cruise ships, the new mega-cruise terminal is set to triple the size of Brisbane’s cruise industry and add considerably more capacity for the city.

Things to know:

• 100% privately funded cruise terminal paid for by the Port of Brisbane Corporation
• Able to accomodate the largest cruise ships in the world, currently the Oasis class Royal Caribbean International
• A home port gateway to South East Queensland
• Will become Brisbane’s second cruise ship terminal after Portside Wharf

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says construction set to commence on the privately funded Port of Brisbane Pty Ltd’s (PBPL) $158 million Brisbane International Cruise Terminal at Luggage Point on the north side of the Brisbane River.

The Premier said the Cruise Terminal would support 245 jobs each year through construction and was the second Market-Led Proposal to advance to the delivery phase.

“Cruising is one of tourism’s great growth stories, for both international and domestic markets,” the Premier said.

“A dedicated, purpose-built cruise ship terminal will boost our international reputation as a global tourism destination of choice.

“It will serve as a catalyst to supercharge growth in our tourism sector and related industries and generate jobs now and into the future.”

Site preparation works will start in November, with construction of the wharf to begin mid-next year, and construction of the terminal to begin in around 12 months

The terminal building itself will be around 9,300 square metres set over two levels and connected to a 200m long wharf, with two air bridges facilitating the movement of passengers on and off the ships.

There will also be public open spaces, parking for cars and buses plus extensive landscaping across the site.

Treasurer Curtis Pitt welcomed the progression of the Port of Brisbane’s cruise terminal Market Led Proposal and said it’s a great example of private sector innovation in action to deliver much needed cruise shipping infrastructure.

It’s very encouraging to see modelling by the Port of Brisbane which indicates the terminal could inject up to $1.3 billion in net expenditure into the Brisbane economy over the next two decades.

“The new cruise terminal is also a jobs generator and is set to support an average of 245 jobs a year over its two-year construction period and will deliver many more jobs through increased economic activity,” Mr Pitt said.

“Once the terminal is operational it is expected the additional cruise ships stopping in Brisbane could continue their journey up the coast to destinations like Cairns and give visitors the opportunity to visit other iconic destinations such as the Great Barrier Reef.

“The economic investment will bring broader benefits to the state economy through increased opportunities for tourism operators and other sectors like agriculture and our services industry.“

“To date, eight proposals have been approved or have moved to Stage 2, the preparation of detailed proposals stage and the MLPs approved or in the detailed assessment stage are worth just more than $1 billion and are estimated to generate around 1,800 jobs.”

Tourism Minister Kate Jones said an international cruise terminal would serve as an important piece of transport infrastructure not just for South East Queensland but for the whole state.

“It will bring an increased number of cruise ships and more tourists to the state,” Ms Jones said.

“It will also safeguard the existing 1,250 jobs related to the cruise industry in Brisbane and add 49 operational jobs on average each year over the next 20 years as the industry grows.

PBPL CEO, Roy Cummins said should the project receive ACCC approval, the Brisbane International Cruise Terminal would prove to be a defining piece of the State’s tourism infrastructure network.

“This new cruise terminal will secure the future of cruise tourism in South-east Queensland and help bring the world’s biggest cruise ships to Brisbane,” Mr Cummins said.

Currently the Oasis class ships of Royal Caribbean International hold the title of being the largest ships in the world. Spanning 360 metres long and 16 decks high, there are three Oasis class ships in operation with a fourth, Symphony of the Seas expected to come online in 2018.

“We have worked with the State Government, through its Market-led Proposal process, and other partners including Brisbane City Council and the cruise operators, to make this happen, and we thank all parties for their support and their commitment to our project.

“Port of Brisbane is investing $158 million to deliver a world-class facility for our world-class city.

“Our focus has been to develop a proposal that supports the cruise industry and delivers a great passenger experience, and we are now going to get on with the hard work of building it.

“It means jobs during construction and jobs for the broader tourism sector for decades to come.

“Port of Brisbane is committed to delivering the best possible economic and tourism outcomes for the cruise industry and Queensland.

“It is an exciting opportunity and we look forward to working with all project partners as we now move into this next phase.”

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When will this actually start being built. We’re in March – and NO sign of it!

March 2018 – NO sign of a Cruise Terminal. When is it due to start? Thanks.

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Important note:  The Brisbane International Cruise Terminal is only open on days when a cruise ship is at berth.   If you are travelling to and parking at the BICT, please note there is only paid parking onsite which must be booked online in advance through Wilson Parking. Please see the  Car Parking   webpage for details. If you are seeking information about your cruise, please contact your cruise line or travel agent.

Brisbane International Cruise Terminal receives first ship | VIDEO, PHOTOS

P&O Cruises Australia's flagship, Pacific Explorer, received a spectacular welcome to Brisbane in the early hours of Thursday, June 2, marking the first cruise ship to dock at the new Brisbane International Cruise Terminal (BICT).

Passing down the Brisbane River at 7am, her arrival marked the half-way point in the first guest cruise from Sydney following the restart of cruising in Australia.

P&O Cruises Australia President Marguerite Fitzgerald said Pacific Encounter will take up residence in Brisbane as her home port from August 2022.

The $177 million Brisbane International Cruise Terminal was completed in 2020, during the pandemic.

Queensland has 14 cruise ship ports and anchorages, with the new terminal now capable of docking the largest cruise vessels in the world.

Cruise Ship itineraries over the next six months includes Cairns, the Whitsundays, Willis Island, Port Douglas, Gladstone and Townsville.

The Quantum of the Seas is scheduled to berth in Brisbane later in 2022 and Cairns in January 2023, while the Queen Elizabeth, Queen Victoria and Queen Mary 2 are planning visits to Brisbane, Airlie Beach, Cairns and Port Douglas next summer.

"Today marks the relaunch of Queensland's cruise ship industry for our Covid-19 Economic Recovery Plan," state premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said.

"Having the new international terminal ready to go puts Queensland in a good position to become Australia's cruise ship capital.

"More cruise ship destinations than any other Australian state and great winter weather makes Queensland the obvious choice to lead cruising's relaunch.

"We've worked closely with NSW, Victoria, the Federal Government and the industry to develop consistent protocols to get cruise ships back in the water.

"These protocols put in place minimum standards for managing Covid and keeping passengers safe."

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Brisbane International Cruise Terminal

Brisbane International Cruise Terminal (BICT) is a new cruise ship terminal being built at Brisbane port in Queensland, Australia.

Project Type

International cruise terminal

Queensland, Australia

Owner/Operator

Port of Brisbane Pty Ltd (PBPL)

Construction Started

Estimated investment.

A$158m ($113.8m)

Expected Completion

Contractors.

Arup, Arkhefield

The new Brisbane International Cruise Terminal (BICT) is being built at Brisbane port in Queensland, Australia and will be located at Luggage Point on the northern side of the Brisbane River.

The new cruise ship facility will be able to accommodate the world’s biggest cruise ships. It will become a gateway to the south-east and offer regional economic and tourism opportunities.

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The project is being carried out by Port of Brisbane with an estimated investment of A$158m ($113.8m).

The need for a new international cruise terminal has been identified as 62% of cruise ships in the Australian market are expected to have a length of more than 270m by 2020.

The Port of Brisbane received approval from the state government to construct the new international terminal in October 2017.

Construction started in mid-2018 and is scheduled for completion in 2020.

Brisbane international cruise terminal features

The two-level cruise terminal building will occupy an area of 9,590m². A 200m-long wharf will be built along with two air bridges, which will allow passengers to enter and exit the cruise ships.

The BICT will also feature public open spaces and parking areas for buses and cars.

Brisbane international cruise terminal construction

Ground improvement works, including filling and surcharging the site, are currently undergoing at the terminal. The surcharging process involves placing of 18,000 wicks and laying of 13,000m² of geofabric, which will be left for settling for 12 months. A 380m rock wall was also built along the foreshore of the site for stabilisation and prevention of soil erosion.

The existing roads between Main Myrtletown Road and Marine Road at Pinkenba will be upgraded to improve traffic efficiency, safety and road user accessibility to the new cruise terminal facility.

Construction of the wharf is expected to begin in late-2018. PBPL will employ a modular style of construction to reduce the costs.

The first vessel to visit the new terminal will be Carnival Spirit cruise ship, which will sail from Brisbane to destinations in the South Pacific and North Queensland.

Contractors involved

Arup and architect Arkhefield received the design contract for the BICT project in January 2018. It will provide detailed design and analysis of the wharf, terminal building, and landside civil works.

Carnival Australia and Port of Brisbane entered an agreement for the purchase of up to 100 foundation berthing days a year, with a limit to use up to four days in any week for 15 years. The agreement allows Carnival Australia to receive priority berthing rights at the terminal .

Benefits of Brisbane international cruise terminal

The BICT will become the missing link in Brisbane’s tourism infrastructure. It will add up to $1.3bn to the Queensland economy. It will also create 245 new jobs during construction and 49 operational jobs a year, over the next 20 years.

The project will unlock under-utilised and undeveloped land using private investment to deliver significant economic benefits for the state.

The terminal will allow 766,260 visitors a year and will also increase cruise tourism along Queensland coast.

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Bookings soar for Coral Princess’s first cruises from new Brisbane terminal

Shortly after pacific explorer christened the new brisbane cruise terminal, princess cruises coral princess is joining the fun today. .

It will be the first ever ship to be homeported out of the new terminal and the first of Princess Cruises’s MedallionClass vessels to sail in Australian waters. 

And already, according to the Princess website, the first two journeys are sold out.

Princess Cruises’ Senior Vice President Asia Pacific, UK and Europe, Stuart Allison is equally excited to kick off the season and inject cruising dollars back into the local economy.

“Queensland will feature front and centre in a new winter program of sailings from Australia, which demonstrates Princess Cruises’ commitment to cruising Down Under and to the local travel agent community. Our focus on Brisbane also reflects the demand for cruise holidays among Queenslanders, as well as the growing interest in domestic cruising.”

Coral Princess packs in 2000 passengers and has 11 cruises planned across June and August, before coming back for another 10 summer cruises from November.

Director and General Manager of Clean Cruising, Dan Russell says he’s seeing cruisers itching to get on board.

“Our clients have been eagerly waiting for a cruise ship to be homeported in Brisbane, and to see Coral Princess here today is another great step forward for the cruise industry. We have a number of clients booked on this MedallionClass ship for this winter season including a couple who have booked over 50 back-to-back cruises including two Round World Cruises in 2023 and 2024. 

“We thank these guests and all the cruise guests far and wide for their patience as we restart cruising in Australia.”

There’s plenty of range in the itineraries on offer, with everything from quick ‘seacations’ for a couple of days, all the way up to 12-day sailings into the stunning Conflict Islands in Papua New Guinea.

Highlights of Coral Princess’ winter program includes:

• Six short getaway cruises from Brisbane and Sydney – perfect ‘seacations’ for those with busy schedules needing a short break.
• Five 7-day Queensland roundtrip cruises from Brisbane, sailing to Cairns, Port Douglas, and Airlie Beach (for the Whitsundays).
• A new 7-day New South Wales Coast roundtrip from Brisbane, with a maiden call to Eden (Sapphire Coast), Sydney, and Newcastle.
• A new 12-day Queensland and New South Wales voyage, sailing roundtrip from Brisbane.
• A new 12-day Queensland and the Conflict Islands voyage (roundtrip from Sydney or Brisbane) crossing the Coral Sea to visit the stunning and remote Conflict Islands in Papua New Guinea.

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