The Northern Territory Government is delivering the Darwin Ship Lift Facility to establish Darwin as a thriving maritime services industry hub.
The ship lift will establish Darwin as a key maritime maintenance centre in northern Australia and servicing South East Asia, and will capitalise on the Territory’s strategic position in the Asia Pacific region.
The ship lift will be capable of lifting vessels up to 5,500 tonnes, enabling vessels in the defence, energy, pearling, fishing and coastal cruising industries to be serviced in Darwin.
The ship lift will be a Northern Territory Government-owned facility that will provide wet and dry berths for vessels wash down, blasting, painting and general maintenance facilities on a common user basis.
The project will deliver:
- a ship lift 26 metres wide, 103 metres long with a vessel lifting capability of 5,500 tonnes
- wet berths to allow vessels to undertake in-water maintenance
- hard stand areas for ship repair and maintenance works
- self-propelled modular transporter (SPMT) units that transport the ships around the facility once they are out of the water
- an administration building, SPMT shed and Blast and Paint Facility
- East Arm utilities upgrades to support the ship lift and broader marine industry park development.
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.
The Darwin Ship Lift Facility is designed to meet the needs of the general maritime sectors operating in northern waters and the current and long term needs of the Department of Defence and the Australian Border Force, while supporting local jobs and delivering economic growth in the Territory.
There will be a legislated open access regime to ensure fair and equal use for all customers. Pricing and access will be overseen by the independent Utilities Commission.
For more information please contact dhip.dipl@nt.gov.au or 8936 5668.
2024
- Darwin Ship Lift Facility Project Bulletin - October 2024 PDF (844.5 KB)
- Stakeholder notice - night works to start - August 2024 PDF (249.8 KB)
- Stakeholder Notice - Dredging activity to start - August 2024 PDF (328.0 KB)
- Darwin Ship Lift Facility Project Bulletin - June 2024 PDF (1.0 MB)
- Darwin Ship Lift Facility Project Bulletin - May 2024 PDF (1.1 MB)
- Heavy Vehicle Priority System Trial - Fact Sheet. PDF (995.5 KB)
- Stakeholder Notice - Darwin Ship Lift Facility Project - May 2024 PDF (1.2 MB)
- Territorians begin work on the Ship Lift with System Contract awarded
- Ship Lift sub-contractor packages providing work for Territorians
- Darwin Ship Lift project bulletin - March 2024 PDF (578.0 KB)
- Darwin Ship Lift project bulletin - January 2024 PDF (728.5 KB)
2023
Final environmental approvals have been obtained through the Northern Territory Environment Protection Authority (NT EPA) and the Australian Government under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. Read the NT EPA assessment report on Darwin Ship Lift and Marine Industries Project NT EPA.
Clough-BMD Joint Venture has been awarded the head contract to build the ship lift facility at the East Arm site. Read the dredging and sediment and control plans below:
Heavy Vehicle Priority System Trial
The Department of Logistics and Infrastructure is trialling a Heavy Vehicle Priority System to improve safety and reduce time delays and congestion for commuters and heavy vehicles during the construction phase of the ship lift project.
It is anticipated that up to 6,000 heavy vehicle trips will be used to import rock, fill and pavement materials to build the Darwin Ship Lift facility, equating to an average of approximately 12 trucks (6 in each direction) per hour on the network during the construction period.
The trial began in May 2024 and will contribute to the safe and efficient delivery of materials from extractive sites in the Greater Darwin area to East Arm as part of the ship lift project.
How the priority system works
GPS technology is used to enable the system to request a green traffic signal when a heavy vehicle is 2 minutes away from a traffic signal. This increases time efficiencies and reduces impact on road surfaces from multiple stops by keeping the heavy vehicles moving where possible.
Vehicle positioning devices will be installed on each participating heavy vehicle and will send the vehicle’s GPS location to the V Priority system via a 4G connection. As a heavy vehicle approaches the intersection, the estimated time of arrival is communicated to the intelligent transport software (STREAMS), which requests a green traffic signal if there are no other conflicting movements at each set of signals.
The trial is expected to save time for heavy vehicle operators by reducing how many times they need to slow down and stop at traffic signals when they encounter a red signal, which can add up to an average of approximately 4 minutes at each traffic signal in each direction.
Objectives of the trial
The Heavy Vehicle Priority System trial will:
- give heavy vehicles priority at traffic signals as they travel to and from the construction site during off peak traffic times
- require a restriction on ship lift project road trains from running during peak, week day traffic periods to reduce impacts on morning (7am – 9am) and afternoon (4pm – 6pm) commuter traffic.
The initiative is anticipated to decrease impacts of heavy vehicles on general traffic during peak traffic periods.
The 12-month trial will be in place for the 8 traffic signals from the Arnhem/Stuart Highway intersection, along the Stuart Highway and Tiger Brennan Drive, to the ship lift construction site at East Arm.