The Port of Newcastle is ramping up its container services in a bid to attract more container ships to the region’s shores.
Today the Port announced it will soon begin operating an Empty Container Park right next to the Multipurpose Terminal at Mayfield Berth 4.
CEO Craig Carmody said with empty container exports making up more than 60% in NSW last financial year, management of those empty boxes is vital.
“Empty container parks aid in managing the imbalance between imports and exports that exists within Australian container operations by assisting container flow,” Mr Carmody said.
A facility of this kind housed at the Port would go a long way in attracting shipping companies to Newcastle and make it a regular destination for container vessels.
Kate McArthur, Senior Manager of Business Development at the Port said it makes sense to have the boxes where the container vessel is located.
“Otherwise you’re incurring repositioning costs bringing boxes up from Sydney for example, so that is one of the advantages of having the Empty Container Park here it’s an attraction for the shipping lines and a benefit for the cargo owners,” Ms McArthur said.
Farmers in the Hunter Valley, New England and the state’s North-West are also set to benefit from the ready supply of empty boxes to export more produce. Historically agri-businesses have struggled to access containers to fill and send back to port.
Operations at Newcastle will start small but the Port has grand plans to expand as demand grows.
“Our initial capacity for the Empty Container Park will be for around 2000 twenty-foot containers but as we continue to expand we will obviously increase both our capability and capacity.”
Eventually the Port aims to have storage facilities to accommodate weather sensitive cargo as well as maintenance and cleaning facilities to service the container trade that comes through Newcastle.
“We’re not short of some hectares of vacant land so we will grow as the market grows,” said Ms McArthur.
Back-of-berth hardstand works are already underway ahead of a planned waterside expansion slated for later in the year to accommodate larger vessels. Once complete the Multipurpose Terminal will be able to welcome more than 80% of the container ships that arrive in Australia.