SOUTHERN Ports in Western Australia has become only the fifth port in the world to achieve ISO certification for its asset management system.

It joins the Port of Melbourne, along with Rotterdam, Johor and Abu Dhabi.

The system which has earned certification (ISO 55001:2014) of its integrated asset management system was designed, developed and deployed by Southern Ports across its three ports at Albany, Bunbury and Esperance over the past four years.

It covers an extensive asset base worth more than $1.6 billion and includes 8,700 owned and maintained assets across 14 classes – from sheds, berths and cranes through to plant and equipment, navigation aids and ICT infrastructure.

Southern Ports Chief Executive Officer Keith Wilks said it has been a significant investment by the regional port authority, but one that is already paying off.

“Previously when our assets required maintenance, we would undertake it, but the introduction of our internationally recognised asset management system now provides us a full digital picture of the health and lifecycle of our entire asset base so we can get ahead,” said Mr Wilks.

“The benefits have been significant as it provides us the ability to make data-backed decisions on when to invest in preventative maintenance, when to invest in upgrades, and how to make our current assets more effective. It ultimately delivers cost savings because we’re making better investment decisions.

“This accreditation marks a sizable milestone for our organisation and demonstrates that a regional Western Australian port authority can be a global leader.”

Asset management system auditor, Bureau Veritas’ Dave Daines said that Southern Ports should be proud of its certification achievement.

“Southern Ports has a very unique operating environment across four sites spread over large distances and different regions, so developing an integrated system that would accommodate its needs is no easy feat,” said Mr Daines.

“It’s evident that Southern Ports has put in a tremendous amount of work into asset management over the past four years to bring proactive asset management to the forefront of its business to achieve operational excellence and efficiency.”

Southern Ports has a record capital investment program with close to 70 renewal projects already completed and more than $50 million of capital investment.