Darwin Ship Lift Facility

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.