FREMANTLE Ports reported its largest monthly throughput of full containers in February.
Last month’s container throughput totalled 72,209 TEU – the largest throughput since July 2020 and the largest throughput of full containers (59,655 TEU) in the port’s history.
Fremantle Ports CEO Michael Parker said the milestone could be attributed to continued high consumer demand, strong exports, and the import of food product from the eastern states.
“To deliver the highest throughput of full containers in a short month is very impressive and I wish to acknowledge the support of our supply chain partners, including the strong co-ordination of grocery arrivals into Western Australia,” he said.
“Imports of food product from the eastern states grew significantly in February as a result of the transport disruption across the Nullarbor.”
In early February, infrastructure and transport minister Barnaby Joyce in late January signed an exemption to the Coastal Trading (Revitalising Australian Shipping) Act 2012, allowing containerships and ro-ro vessels to carry interstate cargo to WA through the end of March.
The minster signed the exemption in response to flooding that knocked out the main overland east-west transport routes in South Australia.
Mr Parker said in February Fremantle Ports received 27 container ships into Fremantle – four more than in January.
“One of the ongoing impacts of the COVID pandemic has been the lack of availability of container vessels to move product out of Asia. Last month we began to see greater availability of those ships which is encouraging,” Mr Parker said.
Fremantle Ports handles more than 800,000 containers a year and is Western Australia’s major general goods port.
