AFTER nearly a decade of delays and cost over runs the Darwin Ship Lift Project is starting to take shape.
Work underway includes dredging, hard stand earthworks, caisson and piling templates assembled on site, and construction of temporary access bunds.
The arrival of the two caisson templates, used to build the first seawalls, is a major step forward in the project which is expected to be completed in 2026.
Once it is operational, the Northern Territory government believes the ship lift will establish Darwin as northern Australia’s leading hub for marine maintenance and servicing and will also attract vessels from South East Asia.
With the only deep-water port in northern Australia Darwin will be able to support defence, coastal shipping, offshore petroleum, fishing, pearling, and the Australian Border Force.
The ship lift will be capable of lifting vessels up to 5500 tonnes, providing wet and dry berths for vessel wash downs, blasting, painting and general maintenance facilities.
The government will legislate to allow open access to ensure fair and equal use for all customers. Pricing and access will be overseen by the independent Utilities Commission.
The ship lift will be 26 metres wide and 103 metres long. The facility will have wet berths to allow vessels to undertake in-water maintenance and hard stand areas for ship repair and maintenance works.
Self-propelled modular transporter (SPMT) units will transport the ships around the facility once they are out of the water.
The facility will also have an administration building, SPMT shed and blast and paint Facility.
The ship lift is funded by $215 million from the Northern Territory Government and a concessional loan from the Northern Australian Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) of up to $300 million.
Leave a Reply