Preferred design locked in for WA container terminal

The Western Australian Government has confirmed the preferred design and location for a new container terminal in Kwinana.

The design of the container terminal will cater for larger ships than the existing Fremantle terminal and also incorporates a redevelopment of the Kwinana Bulk Terminal. It will also enable the port to cater for increased volumes of container trade, helping to support economic growth and diversification.

The location will also avoid impact on other critical public infrastructure including Water Corp’s desalination plant and Synergy’s power plants.

Current modelling of the Fremantle Port indicates that its infrastructure and surrounding roads will reach capacity over the next two decades, with the current site responsible for importing and exporting around 800,00 containers every year. This is expected to grow to more than three million containers over the next 50 years.

Design concepts were assessed against a range of criteria including environmental, long-term sustainability, efficiency of the supply chain network and port, and financial value to the State and local economies.

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Planning has also been informed by the State Government funded $13.5 million Western Australian Marine Science Institution Westport Marine Science Program, which has led a number of studies aimed at mitigating and offsetting the impacts of a new container port.

The project business case, including the recommended development timings and costings, is expected to be finalised in mid-2024.

Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said the port project would help to ensure the health of the state and Australia’s container trade and economy.

“The development of a new container terminal and supporting freight network would represent one of the largest infrastructure projects ever undertaken in WA,” Saffioti said.

“Having a port and freight network that can support the expected growth in Western Australia’s container trade is absolutely essential to the long-term health of our economy.”