Navigational risks associated with the narrow channel means thousands of passengers on the biggest ships will bypass the city in favour of other destinations. There are also concerns about the placement of pylons in the channel and the hazard they posed to ships.
Just six cruise ship visits are booked for Townsville next year when 30 or 40 visits are earmarked for Cairns and the Whitsundays.
But civic leaders denied the new terminal would be a white elephant as it would also accommodate military and commercial vessels.
Richmond Mayor John Wharton, who yesterday quit his position on a task force citing inaction at fixing problems at the port, said the port channel was too narrow, preventing Australia’s largest cruise operator, Carnival, from bringing in its cruise ships.
“Did Carnival say they are not going to come in there … that’s what the fellows that work in the port are saying,” Cr Wharton said.
Carnival refused to talk about whether the terminal would be able to properly cater for their ships.
“Carnival Australia is always happy to talk to local authorities about how they wish to support cruise industry growth and the infrastructure that goes with it, but believes it would be inappropriate to become involved in the local community’s debate about Townsville’s new terminal and its future use,” a spokesman said.
Port of Townsville acting chief executive Ranee Crosby said in a statement their schedule included “a number of Carnival ships” next year.
However she did not broach the issue of the channel other than to say that future improvements had been detailed in its Port Expansion Project Environmental Impact Statement.
Townsville Enterprise chief executive David Kippin confirmed he had heard about Carnival’s concerns but did not believe it was a big problem.
“It’s really an issue between Carnival and the port. It has implications with how we deal with the cruise terminal,” he said.
“The new ships, the way they control them and power down as they slow down, over the last 3-5km, they lose steerage. They are fine if there is no wind and tide but as soon as you have strong wind and tide, it increases the risk.
“The smaller ships and navy ships it’s not a problem. Really it’s only the larger cruise ships.”
Mr Kippin said it might not be economically viable to widen or deepen the channel.
“(Cruise passengers) do support our tourist operators for the four to six hours they are here … but (otherwise) they don’t spend a lot of money,” he said.
Mr Kippin said the cruise terminal would not be a white elephant because it had been designed as a multi-function facility. He said it would be used by sailors arriving on military ships and would also be used as a convention space that could cater to up to 1000 people.
“It’s not just a cruise terminal, it’s a multi-function facility,” he said.
Ms Crosby agreed Berth 10 would cater for a variety of users, not just cruise passengers.
“The $AUD85 million investment in the Berth 10 facility caters to multiple users including cruise, defence and commercial shipping,” she said.
Construction of the facility, due to open this year, is nearing completion.
See also: Townsville cruise terminal on schedule and within budget