Expedition cruise vessel Le Jacques Cartier has marked a milestone for Broome, becoming the first ship to berth at the town’s newly completed floating wharf earlier this week — a development long anticipated by the Kimberley cruise sector.
The floating platform, constructed by the Kimberley Marine Support Base (KMSB), has been integrated with the Port of Broome’s existing infrastructure and is specifically designed to address one of the region’s defining maritime challenges: its dramatic tidal range.
For visiting cruise lines and their passengers, the new facility promises smoother and more predictable operations. According to the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), the expanded infrastructure offers greater operational certainty and capacity regardless of the Kimberley’s famously extreme tides — a persistent logistical hurdle for decades.
Beyond passenger convenience, the investment carries broader economic ambitions. CLIA says the KMSB development is expected to deliver long-term benefits to Western Australia’s economy by strengthening Broome’s role as a cruise gateway and supporting future tourism growth across the region.
Engineered to accommodate large expedition vessels while also servicing broader marine industries, the floating wharf enhances both tourism access and commercial logistics. A purpose-built causeway links the platform to the shore, maintaining stability even as tidal levels rise and fall dramatically.
The new facility also supports an ongoing industry objective: securing first-point-of-entry status for Broome. If achieved, international cruise ships would be able to arrive directly, bypassing current entry ports such as Darwin or Fremantle. CLIA says it is continuing discussions with member cruise lines, the Australian Cruise Association, port authorities, and both state and federal governments to advance that goal.
For a destination defined as much by its tides as its landscapes, Broome’s new floating wharf represents a practical solution — and a strategic step forward — for cruise operations in Australia’s remote northwest.
Some information sourced from Latte Luxury News
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