Australia’s Department of Defence (DoD) has denied any involvement in classified or unclassified planning to develop a new deep-water port near Darwin to support the deployment of US Marines for training in Australia.
The DoD’s statement follows a 23 June report by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), which quoted multiple unnamed officials as saying that secret planning had begun for a new multi-use port facility in the Glyde Point area. This location is about 40 km northeast of Darwin’s existing port, which was controversially leased in 2015 to Chinese company Landbridge Group for 99 years by the government of Australia’s Northern Territory.
(Jane's)