Everything from appliances to clothing, hardware, items for construction, and goods for agriculture and industry arrives in WA by containers.
Fremantle has been our container port for over 100 years. Last year, it handled more than $45 billion in trade, including more than 856,000 twenty-foot equivalent (TEU) containers - an increase of over 45,000 containers from the year before.
Container trade capacity at Fremantle
As WA’s population continues to grow, so does our demand for containerised freight. Fremantle Port has the capacity to manage up to 1.4 million TEU. As the port approaches this limit, delays to shipping will result in rapidly increasing costs for both imports and exports. Estimates show that Fremantle will hit this capacity around 2040, in a moderate trade growth scenario (which means the prediction is based on a steady rise in trade).
Without action, Fremantle Port will no longer be able to effectively manage the volume of containers to support our population and economy. As a result of this, the container trade supply chain – which includes the port facilities in Fremantle, and the road and rail distribution networks – will become ineffective, causing serious economic impacts.
What happens if Fremantle Port hits capacity?
If Fremantle hits capacity, there would be significant bottlenecks and delays. This could also lead to containers bound for WA being offloaded on the east coast, then transported across the Nullarbor, resulting in a steep increase in transportation costs and carbon emissions. Ultimately, the cost of trade would rise, and that cost would be passed on to consumers.
If we do nothing, this could reduce the State economy by $11 billion in the first ten years of Fremantle Port hitting capacity, growing to a combined $244 billion impact by the mid-2070's (in today’s dollars).
To accommodate future trade growth and support the WA economy, the State needs an efficient and reliable container supply chain. A detailed assessment found that relocating to Kwinana will resolve the problems at Fremantle – it offers more space for our future port, along with the opportunity to develop a modern and efficient road and rail network. It also has the capacity to support WA’s container trade needs for the next 100 years.
Why can’t Fremantle Port be upgraded?
Options to maintain Fremantle as WA’s main container port have been extensively investigated by Westport.
Read more here Why not Freo? | Westport.
