ACCC supports giving Patrick and DP World the power to preference dual-run trucks at Port of Fremantle
By Rob McKay | October 1, 2010
National stevedores Patrick and DP World can discriminate in favour of dual-run trucks using the port of Fremantle for the next five years, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has ruled in a draft determination.
However, the arrangement, which favours trucks that both deliver and collect containers in a single trip, does not allow DP World and Patrick to agree on the price or the number of slots they make available at their terminals for booking by trucking operators.
The proposed arrangement is a government and industry initiative, intended to address the problem of road congestion at the Port of Fremantle and its effect both on the efficiency of the port’s operations and on the surrounding community.
“The ACCC accepts that the proposed arrangement is likely to result in an increase in the efficiency of the Port of Fremantle and a reduction in the number of trucks moving to and from the port, to the benefit of the surrounding community and the environment,” ACCC chairman Graeme Samuel says.
“The ACCC considers that there are limited public detriments that may arise from the proposed arrangement.
“The applicants will continue to individually decide on truck carrier access pricing, the total number of slots available and the level of service offered to truck carriers.”
DP World welcomed the ACCC’s move.
“This is a common sense outcome and demonstrates the ability of government and industry to work together to achieve greater efficiency at the port and a positive outcome for the local community,” a spokesman says.