HIGH-PROFILE Navy Reserve Captain and former NSW Opposition Leader Peter Collins has pinpointed potential sites for new cruise facilities at Sydney’s Garden Island naval base.
Collins was last week appointed to lead a cruise industry reference group to report on solutions to Sydney’s berthing constraints, and has tipped Garden Island as the most likely candidate for new facilities despite the misgivings of the Royal Australian Navy.
Speaking on ABC radio on Fri, Collins said a lot of work had already been done to identify potential sites for future cruise berths around the harbour, and that it was possible to accommodate both the Navy and the cruise industry successfully.
“We can have a win-win situation,” Collins said.
“It’s not about how you can bump the Navy out of Garden Island, there are a number of locations the reference group will have to look at.
“Top of the list and the obvious one is where the main crane used to be at Garden Island but there are other options as well.”
Other little-used sites including the point and eastern side of Garden Island could also be utilised to allow shared facilities between the Navy and cruise industry, Collins said.
The cruise industry reference group includes members of government and the cruise sector and is due to report to the NSW Government in Sep.
Cruise operators including Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruise Line have recently directed ships away from Sydney, with its existing Overseas Passenger Terminal running at capacity and the White Bay Cruise Terminal inaccessible to larger ships.
