By 2023, ships up to 300 meters in length will be able to call at the Port of Townsville thanks to a multi-hundred million dollar channel widening project.

The port had four calls in 2016, 10 in 2018 and 19 last year.

“The city is gaining a reputation for cruise welcomes and we want to showcase the natural beauty of the region to more passengers,” said Ranee Crosby, Port CEO.

“We have 12 ships scheduled for 2019 and have been receiving more bookings 2020 and 2021,” Crosby said. “The key reason behind the drop is due to larger ships in the market replacing some of the smaller vessels. With the upgrade of the channel underway we will soon cater to the bigger cruise ships.”