| Sydney berthing “appalling”

CRUISE lines are concerned
about the berthing situation
in Sydney Harbour, with just
one spot available west of the
Harbour Bridge for big ships in
Australia’s “marquee port”.
Crystal Cruises’ recently
appointed head of itinerary
development, Claudius Docekal,
told delegates at the Cruise Down
Under conference this morning
that the situation was “appalling”.
As well as improved berthing,
other changes to encourage
ships to visit more often and stay
longer in Australia could include
lower costs for marine services,
business tax incentives, and
better infrastructure to handle
passengers, Docekal said.