Roads and Ports Minister Duncan Gay said this milestone highlights the NSW Government’s commitment to meeting the huge boom in demand for cruise in Sydney.
“We are just coming to the close of what has been another record Sydney cruise season with 265 ship visits and we have already taken more than 280 bookings for next season.
“Given the unprecedented growth in cruising, this new terminal is very timely indeed - its vast open plan arrivals and departures hall are designed to cater for 2,400 passengers at a time, Mr Gay said
““We have also constructed a dedicated terminal access road to ensure minimal impact on local streets by port traffic.
“The critical elements of size, layout and capability to enforce modern maritime security requirements were already in place so when you add the ability to use the neighbouring White Bay 4 to simultaneously host a second cruise ship, White Bay has a lot going for it.
“It means Sydney can now comfortably host up to three cruise ships alongside at any one time.”
“The public will also have pedestrian and cycling access to the waterfront adjacent to the Terminal when there are no ship activities – that’s the first time in 45 years the public has been able to access this waterfront.
Carnival Australia has been working with Sydney Ports Corporation’s to ensure the transition to the new White Bay Cruise Terminal is as smooth as possible for its cruise passengers.
The company, which operates or represents most of the cruise ships operating to or from Sydney, has also developed a ‘good neighbour commitment’ that takes into account the interests of the local community.
Carnival Australia’s ‘Good Neighbour Commitment’ has the following guidelines:
- No surprise visits unless an emergency – Our ship schedules are published up to two years ahead of time and can readily be viewed at www.sydneyports.com.au/port_operations/cruise_schedule
- No planned late night arrivals – The vast majority of our ships arrive between 6am and 7am, which means no late nights and a reduced impact on afternoon peak hour traffic.
- Quiet disembarkation – Carnival Australia is taking a number of steps to keep the inevitable noise of disembarkation to a minimum. For example, our ships will refrain from making announcements about disembarkation times and schedules while in port.
- Ship whistle minimised – We will do our best to stay quiet, with our ship whistle used sparingly for evacuation drills or in case of an emergency.
- Lights down low – External ship lighting will be kept to a minimum when in port.
- Sail-away fun – We know our passengers love to start their holiday the moment they step on board, but Carnival Australia will keep music and announcements to a minimum until our ships are well on their way.
- One day visit – Occasionally there will be circumstances that require the ships to stay overnight, for example extreme weather conditions or technical problems, however these are few and far between.
- Ongoing communication – Carnival Australia will update residents of any major changes to its operation via its website (www.carnivalaustralia.com) or direct mail.
Minister Gay said White Bay has always played a big role in Sydney’s economy, its commercial shipping history dating back to the mid-19th century, handling just about everything from timber and paper, coal, sugar, wheat and cement to cars and containers.”
“Now as a cruise terminal, it will continue contributing to Sydney’s economy, serving not only as a cruise terminal, but as a part-time function centre serving community events on non-ship days.
Minister Gay said the NSW Government is now turning its focus to an upgrade of the Overseas Passenger Terminal with a $30 million Masterplan under review.
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