THE FIRST cruise vessel to arrive at the newly opened Kimberley Marine Support Base (KMSB) facility with the Port of Broome has been acclaimed a resounding success.
A spokesperson for KMSB said the 130-metre cruise vessel Le Jacques Cartier by Ponant berthed early last Sunday morning, with passenger transfers occurring throughout the day, before departing Broome in the evening.
“The operation on the wharf was a resounding success, with very positive feedback from the cruise company regarding both the quality of the KMSB Facility and the experience in general,” the spokesperson said.
KMSB officially opened on 12 September, marking a transformative moment for regional logistics, cruise tourism, and supply chain resilience across northern Australia.
Coral Expeditions and Scenic Eclipse II are among the first cruise lines to benefit with operators praising the improved gangway access and faster disembarkation for passengers.
The 9250 sqare metre pontoon floating wharf with a 255m berth line, is designed to accommodate vessels up to 348m in length.
It’s engineered for non-tide-dependent operations, solving Broome’s notorious 10 metre tidal range bottlenecks enabling 24-hour-a-day access for uninterrupted passenger movements year-round.
Le Jacques Cartier is a sleek, ultra-modern expedition vessel operated by Ponant, as part of their Explorer-class fleet named after French navigators, designed for intimate, luxury cruising with a strong emphasis on environmental innovation and immersive experiences.
The 10,700 gross tonnage vessel was built in 2021 by VARD shipyards (Norway and Romania) and has a 184 passenger capacity.
It frequently sails in Australia’s Kimberley region, French Polynesia, and polar destinations offering themed voyages with naturalists, historians, and guest lecturers onboard.