Darwin’s $820 million Ship Lift Facility and Marine Industry Park projects are to be consolidated into a precinct amid moves to fast-track planning and approvals.
The Northern Territory Government said today (February 2) that both projects are part of a Northern Marine Complex which it declares to be a territory development area (TDA).
The government wants to leverage the harbour’s location to create a national maritime maintenance, service and logistics hub at Darwin, the only major vessel servicing point between Cairns and Perth.
It says that awarding TDA status will allow the government to step in.
Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro says “the Ship Lift is a major public investment and Territorians rightly expect it to deliver”.
“Developing an economically significant precinct will maximise the benefit of the Ship Lift to the entire maritime industry.”
Territory Co-ordinator Stuart Knowles says the TDA designation provides the statutory framework to assess and approve developments and attract investment.
“This declaration is a practical enabler,” Knowles says.
“It supports a whole-of-government approach, stronger governance, cost discipline and co-ordination, ensuring taxpayer value is protected and delivery progresses.”
Click here to watch a recent video of work on the ship lift.
DARWIN COMPLEX
Located at East Arm and 16km from Darwin’s CBD, the 246-hectare complex will combine the Darwin Ship Lift and Marine Industry Park into one single precinct.
At its heart will be a 5500-tonne capacity ship lift that can handle ships up to 26 metres wide and 103 metres long.
There will be wet and dry berths for vessels, hard-stand areas for repairs and mobile transport units to take ships around the facility once out of the water.
Just 600 metres from the ship lift will be an industrial subdivision with large-scale workshop and fabrication areas for maintenance, repair and manufacture.
The complex will include a 10.3-hectare common-use hardstand for fabrication, storage and maintenance and a multi-user barge ramp with all-tide access.
The industrial park will be home to all marine trades, engineering, logistics and specialist services, the government says; these would allow Darwin to be pushed as a full-service maritime hub for the Indon-Pacific region.
Government says the TDA designation means a development plan now has to be drawn up.
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