Added flexibility and efficiency at Port of Melbourne foreseen once investment is realised
Freight transport representative bodies have given DP World’s West Swanson Container Terminal (WST) expansion plan in Melbourne a big thumbs up.
Container Transport Alliance Australia (CTAA) and the Victorian Transport Association (VTA) have highlighted the boost they expect the ability to handle an extra 100,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) to give other freight handlers.
“This positive news comes off the back of additional efforts over previous months by DP World to improve its landside interface,” CTAA Director Neil Chambers says.
“This has included changing the operating parameters for terminal straddles to reduce travel times and improve truck servicing, as well as working with road transport operators to improve stack run arrangements.”
“Additionally, the DP World Customer Portal promises to provide more timely information on container, vessel and road operations, including truck and container turn times in the last eight hours.”
VTA CEO Peter Anderson says there are efficiencies to be gained from the investment, “which will ease and improve traffic flows through the port.
“Having an additional 100,000 TEUs is welcome news for transport operators servicing the port, who will inevitably benefit from the additional business and revenue prospects this will create.
“An investment of this magnitude will also give transport operators additional confidence to invest in their own operations, which is important for the vitality of the industry as a whole.”
Chambers points out that the stevedore can experience volume surges due to bunched and “off-window” ship arrivals and large container exchange volumes.
“These factors can lead to import containers being moved to West Swanson Intermodal Terminal (WIST) across Coode Road for import delivery,” he says.
“CTAA Alliance companies hope that by increasing the throughput capacity of WST by 100,000 TEU per annum, the need to transfer containers to WSIT for import delivery will lessen.
“This assists road transport operators by reducing the complexities of dealing with a separate delivery terminal that only allows for one-way running (i.e. import deliveries only).”
The hope for landside operators is the closure of Coode Road west of Dock Link Road, and the amalgamation of WST with WSIT.
The should allow for further improvements in truck and container turn times, and the removal of the need for trucking firms to deal with “what is effectively two separate terminals in the one location”.
“Rail operations at DP World would be enhanced as well, allowing the use of straddles or other forms of internal transfer vehicles to move containers to and from the railhead into terminal stacks,” Chambers says.