Destinations / Australia and New Zealand / Australia / Cairns / Refits

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Refits in Cairns
Tropical Reef Shipyard and Norship haul out large yachts at Cairns. The refit precinct is about 5 minutes from the marina.
Picture made with AI. It shows the place but is not a photograph.
Yards
Yards in Cairns
| Yard | Haul-out | Where | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tropical Reef Shipyard | Slipway for vessels up to 3,000 t. Handles vessels of 105 m (Australian Defence, 2020) | 1 Trawler Base Road, Portsmith | Established 1977. AUD 10 million expansion finished in 2020. Baird Maritime, 2020, gives drydocking up to 135 m. Member of Superyacht Group Great Barrier Reef |
| Norship | Three travel lifts, up to 400 t and 11 m beam | Cairns | Operating since 1948. Enclosed all-weather paint and blast facility. Survey dockings and major modifications |
Yard websites and press reports. Sources give the maximum length at Tropical Reef Shipyard as 84 m to 135 m.
Trades
Norship workshop trades
WorkshopsEngineering, electrical, fabrication and paint
DockingSurvey dockings and major modifications
DivisionNorship has a Luxury and Recreation division
Work at the marina
Ports North issues permits for work, liquid transfer, waste removal and mobile crane use at Cairns Marlin Marina. The refit precinct is about 5 minutes from the marina.
Sources. Checked 7 November 2026.
- Cairns Local News: It's absolutely super, 2024
- Ports North: Cairns Marlin Marina
- Dockwalk SuperPorts: Cairns Marlin Marina
- PredictWind: The Reef Marina, Crystalbrook Superyacht Marina
- Yachting Pages: The Reef Marina
- Superyachts.com: Crystalbrook Superyacht Marina
- Australian Defence: Largest slipway in northern Australia, 2020
- Baird Maritime: Cairns shipyard expansion, 2020
- Norship: Our facilities
- GBRMPA: Superyachts
- Department of Infrastructure: Coastal trading
- Bureau of Meteorology: Cairns Aero climate statistics
- Bureau of Meteorology: Tropical cyclones in Australia
- Crew Pacific
- Yachting Pages: Crew training in Cairns
- Yachting Pages: New superyacht infrastructure gives Cairns the edge
- Cairns Airport
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