The port of Fremantle in western Australia has little room to expand as a result of the area’s local topography. The land near the port is also highly valuable and, therefore, more attractive to real estate development.
Consequently, the idea is to relocate the port to Kwinana, which is located 15 miles (22 kms) to the south of the existing port and where bulk cargo handling activities already take place.
The ‘West Port Project’ would be located next to the Outer Harbour, a major port for grain, coal, fertilisers, mineral sands iron ore, sulphur and liquid cargoes.
The idea of developing Kwinana dates back to 2006 and was revived in the late 2010s, but work was then delayed by COVID-19.
Now, 30 different design options for the new port have been reduced to seven in the latest round of proposals.
Fremantle’s existing container terminals, operated by DP World and Patrick, handle approximately 800,000 TEU a year and the plan is to increase capacity to 3M TEU in the long term.
They will also be designed to handle much larger ships and have better road and rail access.
Roger Cook, the prime minister of Western Australia, stated: “A world class port in Kwinana is critical for our state to remain a global economic and industrial powerhouse for decades to come.”
A project development case report should be ready by mid 2024.
The latest budget of around A$4B (US$2.7B) dates from 2020, but Rita Saffioti, deputy prime minister and minister for transport, suggested this figure is “outdated” and more funding is needed.
In the 2022-23 fiscal year which ended 30 June 2023, Fremantle handled 809,709 TEU. This was a record number for the port and was up 2.2% on the previous year (792,021 TEU).
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This complete item is approximately 300 words in length, and appeared in the December 2023 issue of WorldCargo News, on page 6. To access this issue download the PDF here
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