White Bay the wrong choice: TTF

White Bay the wrong choice: TTF
By Hannah Edensor


The cruise ship industry is being punished for Labor’s mistakes, according to the Tourism & Transport Forum (TTF).

Chief executive Margy Osmond said that Labor’s decision to build Sydney’s second cruise ship terminal at White Bay rather than Barangaroo is hindering the cruise industry, who has worked with governments the world over to find the right environmental solutions.

The announcement of the new mandatory standards ‘out of the blue’ is out of sync with the majority of countries who have taken the sensible road to allow for cruise ships to adapt and change.

“The government’s decision to introduce mandatory new standards for emissions by mid-2016 is in stark contrast to the approach adopted by Europe, which gave the cruise ship industry sufficient time to adjust to new regulations,” Osmond said.

“They recognised that the cruise ships industry cannot simply change fuels overnight.”

“Neither party has explained how it intends to ensure that cruise ships have access to the necessary supplies of soon to be required low sulphur fuel which is currently unavailable in large quantities in Sydney.”

According to Osmond, the current review looking at providing ship-to-shore power must recognise that it would require infrastructure equivalent to providing power to a small town.

“Nor has any consideration been given to the investment cruise ship companies like Carnival have started to make to introduce ‘scrubbing’ technology,” she insisted.

“This technology is being phased in voluntarily to their ships over the coming four years, specifically to deliver much lower emissions.

“Cruising has been the shining star of the tourism industry, delivering a major injection into the NSW economy. Government decisions could put at risk an industry that is supporting 10,500 jobs in NSW and generating economic output of over $2.3 billion.

Osmond shamed the decision as a “quick-fix” and “poor public policy”, which has created uncertainty for the cruise ship industry at the most popular destination for the sector.

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