Latest update
Project
The Territory Government is delivering a significant upgrade of the Frances Bay Mooring Basin lock.
The upgrade will deliver new lock doors, modernise the mechanical and electrical systems and provide increased protection to help ensure the longer term sustainability, efficiency and safety of the facility.
This will provide an improved facility for the commercial fishing, seafood, marine maintenance and supplies and other maritime industries.
A design and construct tender to deliver upgrades was awarded in June 2022. Design work and fabrication continued in 2022 with work onsite underway in the first quarter of 2023.
Work on site will be staged to manage impacts on basin and lock users, particularly at the start and ends of the various fishing seasons.
Temporary lock closures during construction
To ensure on site safety for workers and lock users, there will be 3 or 4 intermittent periods of between 3 to 4 weeks in 2023 and 2024 where it will not be possible for vessels to enter or exit the lock.
The first lock closure will occur in the second half of 2023.
Lock users will be provided with at least 8 weeks’ notice of the confirmed dates for temporary lock closures through communication with industry groups, via email to the Frances Bay Mooring Basin user group, through hard copy notices displayed on site at Frances Bay and updates on this page.
The Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics (DIPL) will work with the construction contractor and industry to avoid lock closures during the cyclone season and to provide access to the facility in the event of a cyclone watch being declared.
DIPL will continue to work with industry groups and basin users to develop business continuity plans and identify alternative facilities around Darwin Harbour to enable basin users to continue operations, maintenance and to moor vessels during basin closure periods.
