Port of Australia

Australia destination for sea transport

The port of Melbourne is the busiest port for containers and general cargo in Australia. It is located in Melbourne, Victoria at the mouth of the Yarra River. Since 1 July 2003, the Port of Melbourne has been operated by the Port of Melbourne Corporation, a public body set up by the State of Victoria. Container handling with an annual volume of up to 2.3 million TEUs is the most important activity in Australia's busiest port. The passenger terminal also handles passengers from cruise ships and ferries.

Bisbane with third largest port in Australia

The Port of Brisbane is the third largest port in Australia and is the fastest growing port in terms of container handling. It is located in the state of Queensland, where the former Queensland Department of Primary Industries suspects the entry point of the South American red fire ant, which is now displacing native species. The port is operated and managed by the Port of Brisbane Pty Ltd. More than 2600 ships use the port in Australia. The Port of Brisbane has nine deep-water container terminals and three deep-water berths for bulk cargo and 17 other berths for bulk and general cargo. In total, the port handles more than 28 million tonnes of freight annually. There are also two quays for cruise ships in the Port of Brisbane. Thus. The so-called Portside Wharf was completed in 2006 and is an international standard facility for cruise ships and offers restaurants, cafés, souvenir shops and much more. Due to the height restrictions of the Gateway Bridge in Brisbane, the larger ocean cruisers have to dock at the more industrially oriented standard multi-user terminal in the Port of Brisbane.

Expansion of Australia's third largest port

A massive expansion of Australia's third largest port is currently underway. Around 50 million Australian dollars are being spent on expanding the infrastructure of the port facility, with a further 100 million being used for equipment such as automated gantry cranes. In January 2008, Port of Brisbane Corporation signed an agreement with Brisbane Container Terminals, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hutchison Port Holdings, itself a subsidiary of Hutchison Whampoa. The agreement covers the operation of Hutchison berths number 11 and 12 for 42 years.