Australia’s Port of Townsville is set to receive a AUD55 million (USD403 million) berth upgrade, opening the way for 4,500 teu Panamax vessels to access to the port.
The upgrade to berth 4 would add 20% to port tonnage throughput and enable another 2 million tonnes of product to trade through the port each year.
The announcement last week by the state minister for ports came just weeks after the port completed an AUD1.73 million, 30,000 m² cargo lay-down area for car imports, break bulk, and general cargo.
New work will include a landside cargo handling area for intermodal transfer of cargo to road and rail.
Townsville. Photo: AISLive
Townsville lies 1,360 km north of Brisbane, north of the state main coal ports of Hay Point, Abbot Point, and Gladstone. Its nine operational berths handle AUD8 billion in trade, with more than 20 shipping lines linking the port to 136 ports worldwide.
Related news:Abbot Point expansion to create jobs
Main exports out of Townsville are metal concentrates, sugar, and fertiliser.
Recent trade statistics released by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority in June showed Australia’s international trade shifting to its northern ports. Queensland’s Brisbane container terminal and Western Australia’s Port Hedland iron ore port now feature as its two biggest export hubs of the nation, with 73 ports. Southern ports were tending toward general cargo/container traffic, and as the second or third port of call after landfall.
This post was sourced from IHS Maritime 360: View the original article here.
