Work began in July 2016 to install a new mooring point at the southern end of the Overseas Passenger Terminal at Circular Quay. This upgrade was essential for the safe berthing of the next generation of cruise ships, accommodating up to 5,000 passengers—1,000 more than the largest ship visiting Sydney during the 2015/16 cruise season.
The first ship to use the new mooring point was Ovation of the Seas, which arrived in Sydney on 15 December 2016, carrying more than 4,900 passengers.
Known as the Southern Mooring, the land-based structure consists of two 150-tonne kidney-shaped mooring bollards. Construction was completed in early December 2016, ensuring it was ready for the safe arrival of Ovation of the Seas on 15 December 2016.
Location
The Southern Mooring Point is located south of the Overseas Passenger Terminal (OPT) forecourt on land owned by Roads and Maritime Services and Property NSW (formerly SHFA). Port Authority holds a license to use this area from both landowners.
Despite its name, the Southern Mooring Point is not the southernmost mooring in the OPT mooring infrastructure. It is positioned approximately 10 meters north of the original southern mooring bollards, which were constructed in the 1960s and remain in use today.
Infrastructure detail
The Southern Mooring Point is a land-based piled foundation structure consisting of four 864mm diameter steel piles filled with reinforced concrete. These piles support a reinforced concrete pile cap measuring 5.0m x 4.5m x 1.5m (length, width, depth). The structure spans over existing sheet pile wall tieback anchors and is structurally independent of the existing sheet pile wall.
Two 150-tonne mooring bollards are installed on the pile cap, positioned approximately 1.5 meters back from the existing wharf face. These bollards are among the strongest on the OPT wharf.
Operational value
The seasonal deployment of Ovation of the Seas at the Overseas Passenger Terminal (OPT) is expected to mark the beginning of regular visits from the next generation of cruise ships to Sydney. The installation of the Southern Mooring Point complements the OPT building upgrade and wharf extension projects, collectively enhancing Sydney’s status as Australia’s premier and expanding cruise destination.