Cruise passengers to use swim jetty

Busselton’s swim jetty will be modified for cruise liner passengers to come ashore in November.

The City of Busselton has revealed the region’s first cruise ship will be anchored two nautical miles offshore and passengers will be brought to the swim jetty using the cruise ship’s tender vessels.

City chief executive Mike Archer said no extension to the jetty would be made.

“This is a short-term measure and the City will make modifications to the swim jetty including the provision of mooring cleats, fenders, anti-slip matting and will create a temporary access pathway using matting over the sand to the grassed area on the foreshore, ” Mr Archer said.

Busselton architect Peter Watson queried the City’s preparedness, saying he was concerned loaded tender vessels might run aground off the “waist deep” jetty.

“Rather than investing in the future by building a dedicated arrival jetty, the council is taking the cheap option and using the swimming jetty, even though in the first season alone, the passengers will inject $5 million or so into the economy, ” he said

“There is also the problem of passengers having to negotiate 50m of sand between the jetty and foreshore paved areas. How will the elderly and wheelchair users manage that?”

But Mr Archer said the City had completed a risk assessment and resolved the swim jetty was acceptable. “(Princess Cruises) has advised that this method of disembarkment is not uncommon, with passenger-assisted services promoted to cruise passengers all over the world at non-port stop-over locations, ” he said.

“Two cruise ship visits to Busselton are planned in November 2014 and March 2015.

“On both occasions, the ship arrives on a weekday when we would expect fewer people to be utilising the foreshore.”

A study for the City into marine berthing options completed in May proposed the development of a new berthing platform on the Busselton jetty to accommodate cruise ship tenders, visiting recreational vessels and commercial tour charter vessels, and longer-term development of a protected space for marine vessels to berth.

Mr Archer said further detailed inquiry must be undertaken before a final decision could be made to make significant investment in new marine infrastructure.

Busselton Jetty and Environment Conservation Association president Trevor Fitzgerald said the association had no concerns regarding the impact of the tender vessels on the jetty and its operations. “Indirectly, this is going to be very beneficial to us, ” he said.