Kwinana has long been considered an alternative location to resolve future container trade constraints in WA, dating back to the Stephenson-Hepburn Report in 1955. Since then, further studies into possible new port locations have consistently found Kwinana is the optimal long-term solution.
Most recently, in 2020 after an extensive assessment of WA’s container supply chain, Westport identified Kwinana as the most suitable location to future proof container trade for the next 100 years.
Why Kwinana is the only viable solution
Kwinana is already a working port
Kwinana is the State’s primary heavy industrial area, and is already home to Fremantle Port’s Outer Harbour, where existing marine infrastructure and working port facilities co-exist with recreation in Cockburn Sound. Kwinana currently hosts 8 major wharfs and a variety of industries, including servicing the imports and exports of commodities including alumina, grain, fuel and many more.
There are approximately 850 ships and carriers that service the Outer Harbour annually. From the late 2030s, Westport will add around 365 ships annually, or one per day.
Land availability
As an established industrial area, it makes great business sense to grow WA’s import and export industry in Kwinana. Kwinana has access to ten times more industrial land than Fremantle, and there is new industrial land under investigation in the Western Trade Coast. This will enable port services and heavy industrial uses to be co-located with easy access to critical supply chain infrastructure.
There is also the potential to consolidate industry and warehousing away from more populated residential areas like Fremantle.
Rail connections
Freight rail is the safest and most efficient way to transport containers over land. Fremantle Port is supported by a single freight rail line that runs right through the heart of Fremantle, which is expected to reach capacity by the mid-2030s. This means that additional containers will need to be trucked on road rather than rail, adding to the already congested Stirling Bridge and Leach Highway.
Relocating to Kwinana creates an opportunity to increase the capacity of the freight rail network and increase the number of containers transported by rail - making our roads safer, reducing congestion and creating a more efficient supply chain.
Road connections
The current freight route to and from Fremantle - via Stirling Highway and Leach Highway - negatively impacts hundreds of residential properties. Kwinana’s road networks are far less urbanised than the freight routes servicing Fremantle. Relocating container trade to Kwinana means we can create a safer, more efficient and fit-for-purpose freight corridor and resolve congestion issues around Fremantle.
Government strategy and coordination
Moving to Kwinana catalyses growth of the Western Trade Coast - WA’s premier strategic industrial area. The Western Trade Coast contributes about $18 billion annually to our economy and is seeing increasing activity from defence industries, ship building, critical mineral processing, and renewable hydrogen.
Westport is part of the State and Federal Governments’ strategies to transform Perth’s premier industrial precinct into a Global Advanced Industries Hub that will position WA as a leader for defence, trade, and clean energy industries, creating long-term local jobs and diversifying the State’s economy.
Why not Fremantle?
The growth of container trade in WA over the coming decades means there are major constraints on the horizon for our existing supply chain through Fremantle Port. Some of these constraints have no viable solution. Read more about the challenges of remaining in Fremantle here.
Why not Bunbury or Geraldton?
Both of these options were considered extensively in earlier stages of Westport. Studies found a number of reasons why these are not viable solutions, particularly the land transport costs of moving containers to and from Perth. Transporting containers from Geraldton or Bunbury to Perth by truck would also create significant additional carbon emissions along with the associated safety risks of high volumes of trucks on the roads.
