PORT of Albany opened its gates to more than 2000 visitors on Saturday to show the community the inner workings of their local port.
The Port Open Day exposed visitors to berthing operations, tugs showcasing firefighting abilities and the machinery used to handle imports and exports.
Among the highlights of the day was the arrival of Panama-flagged bulk carrier Watatsumi.
Southern Ports regional manager Albany Paul McSweeney said attendance numbers were more than double what they were at the last community open day.
“It was a terrific day with so many people showing an interest in how our port operates,” Mr McSweeney said.
“We know how much our port means to the community from both an economic and historic perspective, so it was a great opportunity to bring together our customers and key stakeholders to show how much the community means to us too.”
The Department of Transport, Svitzer Australia, Qube, CBH Group, Mission to Seafarers and Stella Maris also attended the event.
They were joined by the Great Southern Development Commission, City of Albany, Museum of Great Southern and Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, among others.
Another highlight was the early premiere of the first episode of the short series “Voice Prints – Lasting impressions of the Port of Albany” which is being prepared to mark the 2026 Albany Bicentenary.
Southern Ports handles more than 37 million tonnes of trade across the ports of Albany, Bunbury and Esperance.
Last year the Port of Albany hit an all-time trade record, facilitating 5.5 million tonnes of trade across the key commodities of grain, woodchips, silica sand and fertiliser.
