THE PORT of Bunbury in Western Australia’s south west has lessons for the country’s smaller regional ports.
In a visit to the port by around 40 marine transport infrastructure experts from PIANC the World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure, Bunbury’s expansion plans were front and centre.
Chair of PIANC Australia and New Zealand, Luke Campbell said the visit was designed to help the group of maritime experts better understand the future needs of maritime infrastructure in regional areas.
“The current infrastructure at the Port of Bunbury demonstrates that there has been a clear vision to allow for upscaling capability rather than just building to meet existing demand,” Mr Campbell said.
“It could have taken other ports years longer to react to the emerging demand for spodumene, but Bunbury was able to adjust quickly to make the most of that opportunity.
“It could have been very easy to let go of some of that land, but the fact the port still has it means there are so many opportunities to meet changing demand in emerging industries such as the renewable sector,” he said.
Southern Ports CEO Keith Wilks, responsible for the operation of three regional ports in Western Australia, at Esperance and Albany as well as Bunbury, said that Bunbury’s strategic location and space to grow and develop, put it in an ideal position to play a key role in the future of ports within Western Australia.
Mr Wilks said the port’s strategic planning was vital to its future focus and to capitalise on growth opportunities – and that it was fantastic to be able to share this planning with industry.
“Our port planning is incredibly important for us to ensure we can accommodate future trade prospects, which is why we set our sights on what our ports may look like over the next three decades,” Mr Wilks said.
“Our Port of Bunbury is unique for any Australian port given its expansive land holding and potential capability, particularly the significant role that it can play in enabling a clean energy future.”
During their visit the PIANC marine transport infrastructure experts explored the Port of Bunbury’s 470 hectares by land and sea, which Mr Wilks said provided a sense of the scale of the emerging opportunities for the South West trade hub.
Since its formation in 1885, PIANC has continued to develop highly respected reports and resources that have become the industry standard guiding planning decisions made at ports globally.
Southern Ports facilitated 17 million tonnes of trade through its Port of Bunbury last year, including 1.4 million tonnes of spodumene exports, and plays a critical role in the import of project cargo such as battery components and onshore wind turbines.
