The Port Authority NSW has started engaging with Botany stakeholders this month as part of its work to complete a business case for expanding the container port’s facilities to handle large cruise ships.
According to a project update distributed this month to residents and stakeholders, the cruise terminal project is set to complete yearly milestones and if all goes well, construction of the terminal would start in 2023 and will be operational once complete.
And cruise lines like Royal Caribbean could help with expertise and even investment once the location has been given the green light.
Most lines have promised new ships and increased capacity if there is a new terminal for larger ships to dock.
In the near term, late 2019 is dedicated to the consultation with stakeholders and holding community information sessions to gather feedback for the preferred site option: Molineaux Point or Yarra Bay.
“As part of the Strategic Business Case, Port Authority responded to requests from a range of stakeholders including local Councils, local members of Parliament and local community group,” says a Port Authority spokesperson.
“Consultation will help inform the NSW Government about what local impacts and concerns need to be addressed if the project proceeds.”
The Port Authority NSW have set the agenda of finding out how the community uses and what they value about the local area and ideas of how the surrounding area might be used with a potential terminal to help minimise potential construction and operational impacts.
“We do not anticipate significant impacts on recreational use of Yarra Bay and the surrounding Botany Bay area. On days when there are cruise ships in port, there may be restrictions around recreational activities, including boating, in terms of proximity to any cruise terminal. This is similar to the restrictions currently in place for the boat ramp at Port Botany,” writes the Port Authority on their new website created to engage the community about the project.
of Botany Bay.
During this time, cruise operators and the broader industry will also be engaged to access the viability of the options, potential partnering and financing arrangements.
Royal Caribbean, which has almost 100 commercial port development projects underway globally along with other cruise lines are ready to weigh in and provide their expertise on this project, that has been in talks for 10-years.
“It’s stopped going backwards. We’ve got interest within the state government, we’ve got interest within the Port Corporation and we’ve got a registration of the economic upside of the industry… and the only viable place for a cruise terminal is Port Botany,” says Mr Gavin Smith, newly appointed Managing Director Australia and New Zealand for Royal Caribbean.
“We are working together to work out what it’ll look like, how quickly it could be built … it depends on how quickly the government can reconcile its environmental responsibilities, work with the community.
for freight forwarding and transport and logistics.
“Currently, if you drive down and go to the Yarra Bay community sailing club, there are banners on their front fences about stopping the ships. There is a community engagement responsibility, education responsibility that is to be shared between the industry and the state government.”
The cruise lines will also play a crucial role in working out whether the new terminal will be able to attract additional cruise ship calls.
“What is difficult for the government is knowing that if you build it, somebody is going to book a hundred berths. Only we know that, only we know where we want to be and what our future plans are … and would Norwegian Cruise Line and Oceania and P&O and everybody else get their act together and get down here,” says Mr Smith.
“We will work with the government to build the terminal as quickly as we can and at a cost structure that will make it attractive to the industry. I can’t say at this point whether we will be a zero investor or material (investor) but those conversations will be ongoing.”
Steve Odell the Senior Vice President and Managing Director Asia Pacific at Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings says, “The line welcomes the recent announcement from the NSW Government that it will be formally inviting the cruise sector for input on a potential new cruise terminal for Sydney at Port Botany, viewing this as a positive development.
“While a final decision remains pending, we are hoping this round of discussions and the Government’s proposed market engagement will move us closer to resolving Sydney’s serious infrastructure constraints and provide a platform to help future-proof Australia’s burgeoning cruise industry, with Sydney being an important gateway port for the Asia Pacific region.”
Technical studies on the local traffic and environmental impacts will also be underway, according to the report. This includes the consideration of movements generate by passenger arrival, departures and potential public transport solutions. The construction and operational impacts on the land and marine environment, operational noise and pollution, marine life, seagrass and fishing as well as Indigenous and European heritage.
Register here to get involved and receive project updates from Port Authority NSW.
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How can $$$$$ be an excuse to ruin a prestigious historical site can’t understand the mentality of landing large numbers of people 20 congested Km from the CBD to increase problems to the already failing infrastructure without it being a total disruption to the area
Yarra Bay is greatly loved by it’s community and many visitors. On a sunny weekend in Summer we can have as many as 10,000 people visiting the bay and local area to peacefully enjoy the beauty of this area. The area has a rich history and is treasured and sacred to it’s indigenous residents whose ancestors have lived here for thousands of years. The proposal by our state government in partnership with NSW Port Authority, Royal Caribbean and foreign owned cruise industry to annexe the public land, green space and bay is absolutely disgraceful, an insult to all Sydneysiders, to all Australians. Yarra Bay is totally unsuitable as a site for this terminal, look at all the reasons people have mentioned in their comments above, they are totally valid. The terminal should be housed at Garden Island as per the governments own report recommended. Be warned, our community will fight this proposal with everything we’ve got, this is personal to us, the resistance to this is growing and snowballing every day, this will become a PR disaster for Royal Caribbean, Cruise Industry and NSW Government.
Get lost we don’t want your terminal here. Go find somewhere else
Many have articulated the reasons the local community are completely opposed to this proposal, but I wanted to express my fear that the cruise industry believes that this is a progressive option. Reading your article it appears the industry has little understanding or regard for either this part of Botany Bay or the community that live in and use this area. I’m very fearful that without that understanding you will be blind to what is at risk and this country will be very much the poorer as a result.
Please…… no cruise ships in Botany Bay
A cruise terminal is not wanted here, Yarra Bay is used by many local people, the last sandy beach left on the north side of Botany Bay. Yarra bay is shallow and subject to large swells and strong winds. The works needed to berth cruise ships here would be massive and the dredging required will kill off the local marine life and disturb toxic sediments from past industrial activity.
Nearby Bare Island is a world class divesite and the dredging required will destroy this area, it is used by a great many scuba divers every weekend.
There has been zero community consultation with all business connected with the proposal conducted behind closed doors. The cruise industry has been extensively consulted , but those that will be impacted by the decision with emissions from berthed ships, congestion and loss of amenities are being kept in the dark.
Very poor choice of site for a terminal and hardly what passengers expect berthing at a working container port surrounded by industry, the airport and Botany cemetery.
The cruise line industry will find that this is the biggest Public Relations disaster of the century if it pushes for this cruise terminal. Royal Carribean cannot pretend to be an environmental leader for the industry if it invests in this terminal. Not only would they be destroying one of Sydney’s most-loved beaches, but the construction of a breakwater and the dredging will create significant public safey concerns: a break wall would change wave energy making commercial shipping and other boating dangerous in the shipping channel; the waves will go rebounding across the Bay to Kurnell and Towra point, destroying that shoreline and a protected wetland; dredging over fuel pipelines will pose signficant public safety concers; dredging will disturb bed sediments contaminated with toxic chemical and metals, poisoining people around Botany bay; the terminal would be located adjacent to a vopak chemical facility. Should a ship break from its moorings in a swell, this would be a major disaster for Botany Bay.
Dumbest proposal I have ever seen.
Preposterous idea. As has been said, stop trying to sell this in easier by calling it Port Botany, as if this is a commercial area that no one will give two hoots about. This is a sandy bay used recreationally by tax-paying people. Kids. Families. Swimmers. Sailers. Fishermen/women. Kayakers. It’s a lazy solution to your problem and it will be catastrophic to the Bay area. If this is the best answer you’ve got, you really need to get other careers. There are numerous solutions to this that do not involve destroying the country’s habitat and culturally important areas.
This is not a case of “not in my backyard”. This is a case of cultural, environmental and historic areas being used to line the pockets of the Cruise Ship industry and the NSW Government. As a resident, the fact I am being told construction commences in 2023 has me believe this is a fait au complete and no protest or debate of reason will actually be listened to. I went on a cruise once. Was possibly the uneasiest 3 days of my life although the best part was entering the Sydney Harbour and all her beauty. Would be so exciting to come through the industrial area of Port Botany (let’s face it) and point out the landmarks and history of such an area! With the overpopulation currently being experienced through greed of developers in the area, why not add thousands more on a weekly basis? Do not destroy an area that is not just loved by the locals but by thousands Sydney wide. Do not destroy an area that has such value to the traditional owners of our land and do not destroy an area for the almighty dollar.
I have this saying where if there is no wind in Phillip Bay, then Armageddon is coming. This is creating more wind than anyone should have to shelter from .. hoist the sails and blow it elsewhere!
What lunatic came up with Yarra Bay as a site. A cruise terminal that has the wonderful vista of a cemetery, oil, chemical and gas storage tanks, with high rise containers surround. I lived there 40 years and drove a rescue boat for the Sailing Club for years. I have seen Botany Bay go from a beautiful sunny day with flat seas, and 15 minutes later hit by a Southerly buster. The waves were monstorous and even I was fearing for my life as the waves broke over our boat. We had to go and rescue wrecked sailing boats all over Botany Bay that day. Yarra Bay is a pleasure spot for safe swimming and it’s picnic area that is utilised by locals and hundreds of people from the greater Western suburbs. You will destroy this wonderful area. And how the hell are you going to move all those passengers to the city on roads that are so congested with traffic . No brainer.
The idea of building this Cruise Terminal in Yarra Bay is a disastrous idea. This will ruin the sea life, the clean waters, will ruin roads and the community. It will not only affect Yarra Bay but also the surrounds of ramsgate, Kurnell with the mass sand movements and tide changes once ports and break walls a constructed.
What I also don’t understand, I trained on Prince of Wales drive for may years While training for Commonwealth & the Olympic Games and was reminded of the high security along prince of wales drive and was even asked several times by security if I notice people taking photos or acting strange around the port then I should notify security…. ummm is this not a major security risk to build a mega cruise terminal right near our major port and gas tanks and don’t tourists take photos/videos when they are coming in to dock?
This idea is a greedy lazy idea from this government and will kill a beautiful area of Sydney, it will kill the amazing wild life that enters and lives in the beautiful waters and nature parks. Growing up in Little Bay and now with my kids growing up here I love seeing the wild life from stingrays, dolphins, many fish species, many birds, seals and even penguins. Why do you want to destroy our environment? Once gone it’s gone forever. This is sacred land and waters with the Thousands of years of Proud Indigenous history
First of all the Port Authority has not engaged with the local community regarding the building of a Mega Cruise Terminal at Yarra Bay or Moulineaux Point. Yarra Bay is not part of Port Botany, it is a local beach for fishing, sailing, swimming and many other community events. To say the cruise terminal will not impact this is a ridiculous comment. The NSW government must release to the community the information that they have released to businesses. It’s not a fair playing field if we have been left out of receiving this information.
Yarra Bay has more cultural and heritage than Garden Island has.
You will destroy Botany Bay, not just Yarra Bay.
You must listen to the people that have lived here For many years and know the area.
It is a misnomer to suggest that this proposed terminal will be located at Port Botany. Port Botany is the area behind the existing seawall. The proposed terminal is actually an annexation of Yarra Bay, which is a culturally significant area used by the sailing club, surf life-saving boat crew, recreational paddlers and body surfers, local indigenous fishos and fishos from across Sydney.
Yarra Bay is horribly exposed to huge swells from the Tasman Sea 2km away, hence the existance of a sea wall protecting Port Botany. The proposed terminal is on the ocean-side of the sea-wall! This will undoubtedly require the construction of large breakwalls which will effectively annex most of Yarra Bay from use by the public and cause erosion issues at Kurnell and Towra Point.
This is not a shared-use scenario or even the use of an existing industrial port area as the article might imply. This is the annexation and destruction of a much-loved, culturally-significant bay with high levels of public recreational use year-round, but especially in summer.
Yarra Bay is no place for cruise ships never has and never will be!!!
We don’t want to ruin what we have out in La Perouse by allowing massive mega ships to be the new view it is RIDICULOUS
Stop the boats no one wants them except the government !!!
Always was always will be traditional Aboriginal Land
The terminal is an absolute outrage. All members of the community will be greatly affected and will have to change their way of life. La Perouse is already very congested of a summer and the terminal will add to this and create more pollution in both the air and the water causing plant and animal species to slowly become endangered and or extinct. The government needs to listen to its citizens. It’s not always about building and spending money on things that will benefit the rich. Yarra is accessed by soo many and holds such a rich cultural history. The beach brings together soo many cultures to see it be re created into a terminal will absolutely break my heart and the communities.
No way this should happen
This is a terrible idea. There’s been no community consultation, nor has there been consultation with Australia’s indigenous people who have sacred land in and around the area. These are pristine waters with a wonderful array of marine life. All will be gone should monstrous cruise ships become part of the equation. The air, water and visual polllution, environmentail destruction, and so much more will ruin a wonderfully historic, heritage and family area. How are you intending to transport thousands of passengers into Sydney city to see Australia’s icons: the Opera House, the Harbour Bridge, Barangaroo and so much more? The roads are already clogged with traffic city-bound. Garden Island was suggested as the first and workable option for another monstrous cruise ship terminal. Why not there? it’s right in the heart of the area that visitors to Sydney want to see. Hope you’re intending to let them know BEFORE THEY BOOK, that their first glimpse of Sydney will be the Port Botany container terminal. And that it’s likely to take well over an hour to get into Sydney-city. Very few people in the area, including politicians, residents, business owners, recreational visitors, and many more are in favour of this disgraceful attempt to destroy Yarra Bay. Stop it now, and plough your resources into finding a location that suits your passengers. Garden Island is the answer. Leave Yarra Bay as is.
I think it’s disgusting what you are proposing to do on a very important pelce of land that is significant of this country and it’s traditional owners considering how many other options that are available, once again greed of few take over the needs of many. What’s up with Watson’s Bay Manly Palm Beach Cronulla/Kurnell Newcastle or Wollongong with the latter 2 already having ports there, then the political grubs could finally build that fast rail that keeps promising, imagine cruising into a Wollongong and having the option of a day trip to Sydney or ACT or Newcastle with a trip to Sydney or the Hunter Valley. Put your heads together for a better NSW and leave Botany Bay alone
As an active user of Yarra Bay and Molineux Point for kayaking and fishing I will be fighting this proposal tooth and nail. There is a seal colony that lives on the point and it is one of the most popular fishing areas in the Bay. Cities worldwide are getting sick of the ever growing cruiseships. Dredging the area will destroy it, I can’t believe this is even being considered.
The idea of of a cruise terminal at Yarra Bay is ridiculous. Our community is deeply against this proposal and it will destroy the marine life and the area. Our roads will be congested. There is only one road out and it will be a disaster. We are all deeply opposed th the construction of the cruise terminal.
This is not the place for a cruise ship terminal. High winds and seas frewuent when the southerly blows. One of the reasons James Cook went elsewhere remember? Not to mention the limited roads quiet residential streets and one of the most beautiful hidden treasures around enjoyed by many. Sealife is abandant, pigmy seahorse is unique to this area all will be lost if a cruiseship terminal were to eventuate …………
IYarra Bay is a deeply loved part of Sydney worth doing a David and Goliath on the massive and also well loved cruise industry to keep cruise ships out of Yarra Bay please
As far as im concerned destroying an area of such environmental,cultural and historical significance to the people of Australia is criminal.
Royal Caribbean claim to care , if they go ahead with this horrendous cruise ship terminal at Botany Bay not only will they be destroying marine life but trespassing on sacred indigenous land & not to mention the sacred final resting place of many of our loved ones. The cruise ships will be docking in & the only scenic view passengers will get is one of the container wharf, botany cemetery & the oil refinery. Take your development somewhere else. There are so many more amazing place to build your monstrosity.
So what about the environmental impact on Botany Bay, particularly if dredging is required to keep the new berth and channel open? This potentially impacts everyone who uses the Bay now but most likely will not impact the passengers on the cruise liners. This side of the equation has not been addressed. Then there is the carbon footprint of all these ships, issues with waste management, issues with transporting the passengers. This all impacts and there is as yet nothing tangible with respect how this will be achieved with as little environmental impact as possible. This is not going to go away.
Royal Caribbean claims to care about the environment, however, in supporting the development of a cruise ship terminal in Botany Bay, they are clearly demonstrating that this is NOT the case. Obviously Royal Caribbean has zero concern for the environment, or the health and safety of the community there.
There are warnings and penalties from the Environment Protection Authority to not disturb the sediments in the Cooks River and estuaries that drain into Botany Bay, due to sediment contamination there. To quote the EPA:
“The bed sediments at the site have been found to be contaminated with chlorinated hydrocarbons including organochlorine pesticides (chlordane, total DDT and dieldrin), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and metals (“the contaminants”) in such a way as to present a significant risk of harm to human health and the environment.”
Where do you think those contaminants have also ended up? Capital dredging of Yarra Bay would disturb all that historic contamination, recontaminating the entire bay. Then maintenance dredging would ensure more contamination, every 5-10 years from then on into the future. The bay itself has also been shown to have contamination bound in the sediment with one of the most dangerous and controversial contaminants today, tributyltin (TBT). “Tributyltin is one of the most poisonous substances to be released to the aquatic environment today” (Knutzen, 1995). It is a really bad idea to disturb the stable sediment of Botany Bay in any way!
If this is Royal Caribbean’s idea of being responsible and concerned for the environment, then I know I WILL NOT be booking a cruise with Royal Caribbean EVER!
Firstly “No cruise ships thank you” for Yarra Bay. Yarra Bay, La Perouse and Botany Bay is not the place for a Cruise Ship Terminal for many reasons including it is currently is a pristine area for swimming, fishing, families, cultural activities. The eco system has finally recovered after decades of abuse of dredging for the airport and later the container port. Natural wildlife like seals, numerous fish species, dolphins and is a very successful breeding ground for seahorses have claimed the bay as their own.
Your business has no business putting profit over the environment and I mean our backyard. The residents and families that have resided around the bay deserve the right to preserve the bay for future generations rather than profit making uncaring businesses and their customers trashing our backyard.
Put your terminal else where and take your ships and customers with you.
The Government and Port Authority have zero respect for the residents of Yarra Bay and surrounding areas…we have been treated as inconsequential..especially the aboriginal community whose forefathers were the legal custodians of the area..they have dismissed all heritage value and have failed to answer any questions on where all the polluted toxic dredging will go..also the massive diesel fuel emanating from these ships will be a danger to the local community especially Gujara pre school which is located 50 metres from Yarra Bay beach ..not to mention the noise pollution with engine running continuously whilst neighbours homes are only meters away. This is still an ongoing problem at White Bay terminal. They say there will be only “minimal restrictions” at Yarra whilst ships are docked (which in the long term will be daily) like no swimming, boating, fishing ?? How is this MINIMAL ???? It actually changes the way we live ..fishing is our source of food .This beach is our life , our livelihood, we have been at Yarra for centuries with our forefathers being custodians of this land ..what an insult to Australians to put aside our lives and heritage for the sake of foreign owned cruise ship companies..They want Garden Island so give it to them ..infastructure already in place ..terminal built, save Millions . This small community could NEVER cope with the traffic /parking even with massive infrastructure..it’s a joke to think otherwise..The Port Authority has not done its homework and is putting the lives of everyone in this area at risk …reconsider Garden Island before making the wrong decision!!
The cruise terminal at Botany Bay is an appalling idea. My family took a cruise with Royal carribean a couple of years ago to North Queensland and we were berthed in an industrial area in Brisbane miles from the city without any advice this would happen. It ruined the trip as it was a waste of a day trying to get into town. Sending passengers to an industrial port area is a horrible experience so get back to planning a terminal I Sydney harbour if you want the industry to grow
Absolutely insane. No passenger would want to sail into a port surrounded by heavy industry with gas tanks and containers and very minimal infrastructure to support the transport with the influx of passengers.
Not forgetting the huge swells the bay is subject to.
Most importantly, the affect this will have on the environment, the recreational and the community with be detrimental.
Wake up government and cruise shipping, consider an option that will support such a move and be supported by communities that would welcome it. We sure don’t
I say NO to a Cruise Terminal at Yarra Bay that will destroy an area of cultural and environmental heritage.
SAY NO
Port Botany is completely unsuitable for this project . Rose Bay is the obvious choice.
Leave Botany Bay alone!!!!! You are not wanted there! Totally against Cruise Ships ruining Yarra Bay !!!
To the people in places of power and major decisions (Current Nsw Gov, Port Authorities Nsw and All investors which are planning and surveying land and water for a cruise terminal in Botany Bay, to the Ones who are Trying to Build on Mauna Kea in Hawaii, to the ones that have attributed to the Amazon fires and to the Government Investors and Corporations that are investing in any thing that is negatively impacting climate change. We don’t want a war, but we have to protect that which is sacred. We have to protect Indigenous Culture and History, we have to Protect the Environment, we have to PROTECT OUR 1 and only planet. You must understand that this isn’t for just the ones that are on this side of the fence, what we are defending and protecting is for you, your children, your future seed. How can we stand by and watch? Some see it as an obligation and human right to protect this planet from that which come to destroy, seperate, and remove first peoples culture from the history books. We will rise, we will defend, we will Protect Our 1.