Cruise ship bumped to berth at Corio wharf terminal

A CORIO freight terminal will host a flagship cruise ship as Geelong seeks funding for a new pier, mayor Darryn Lyons has revealed.
MV Funchal would use Corio Quay after coming to a “special agreement” with Port of Geelong, he said.
“This is a temporary arrangement, so there is an urgent need to have a dedicated cruise ship pier.”
City Hall has signed agreement with cruise line Portuscale to host its flagship vessel in Geelong over summer.
Cr Lyons has been leading a push to secure government funding for the $30 million Yarra St Pier to berth ships such as the MV Funchal and naval vessels.
He said an updated business case, which took into account the Portuscale arrangement, estimated the pier would be worth 430 jobs and $61 million a year to Geelong.
The statewide benefit would rise to 522 jobs and $80 million.
The business case found that Geelong could host up to 25 cruise ships a year amid a 500 per cent increase in passengers worldwide since 2002, Cr Lyons said.
Local suppliers would benefit from the ships taking on provisions of food, beverages and food worth a “minimum” $300,000 per visit.
City Hall has allocated $5 million to the pier project and Royal Geelong Yacht Club has committed $2.5 million.
The project faces funding competition from proposals to upgrade Geelong Performing Arts Centre and Simonds Stadium.
Cr Lyons said the pier was City Hall’s “number-one funding priority”.