Leadership sees developments ‘future-proofing’ crucial transport infrastructure
Tasmania’s ports facilities future has been mapped out, with the Tasmanian Ports Corporation (TasPorts) releasing its Port Master Plan.
The initiatives contained aim to ensure the state’s port facilities meet future demand and support economic growth.
TasPorts chair Stephen Bradford says the Port Master Plan and associated major projects would help the company meet customer demand, attract new business and provide the best value for customers.
“The Plans guide port infrastructure investment over the next 15 years and are expected to help inject hundreds of millions of dollars into Tasmania’s economy over the longer term,” Bradford says.
TasPorts CEO Paul Weedon says the strategy is a major long-term investment to ensure that Tasmania’s maritime trade system has the capacity to grow.
“With more than 99 per cent of the state’s freight coming and going by sea, ports are one of our most important infrastructure assets and it is vital we plan for the future to meet growing demand,” Weedon says.
The major projects arising from the planning process include:
- expansion of container berths in Burnie in response to Toll’s commitment to deploy larger Bass Strait ships;
- reconfiguration and expansion of Devonport East to provide a new home for the larger Spirit of Tasmania ferries and a new berth for SeaRoad
- development of a new Antarctic logistics facility in Hobart to support the Australian Antarctic Division’s new icebreaker that is set to replace the Aurora Australis.
Read how plans for Burnie as an international container port were launched here
These projects alone represent over $120 million of port infrastructure investment while ongoing maintenance, remediation and expansion works across the state’s port network bring the total planned investment to more than $200 million over the next 15 years.
Weedon says TasPorts will continue to support its operations at King and Flinders islands, Port Latta, Inspection Head, Strahan, Stanley and Sullivans Cove in Hobart.
Development is expected to commence at the major ports in late 2018.
The logistics-support plans for the main general freight ports in the north of the state are as follows.
Bell Bay:
- a $10 million investment to improve berthing capacity at Bell Bay No.6 berth, optimising port facilities for industry.
- investment will enable forestry and mining exports from multiple berths, upgrade of fuel pipelines and increased capacity for fuel storage.
- a new transport and wash-down system to assist forestry exports.
Burnie:
- about $80 million to be invested, including the proposed international container terminal
- a project to dredge the berth to provide for Toll’s larger Bass Strait ships is linked to initiatives to increased terminal capacity; a new ramp and link span infrastructure and extend the berth to accommodate the new vessels which are expected to arrive next year
- Improved logistics and supply chain infrastructure for minerals exports.
Devonport:
- a $50-$60 million development to extend berthing facilities for passengers, cargo and freight
- infrastructure to accommodate the new Spirit of Tasmania ferries arriving in 2021, allowing an extra 160,000 passengers annually
- extension of berthing facilities for transport and logistics providers.
The full document can be found here.