Sound sailing for Fremantle Port - Ports And Shipping - Brief Article

Business Asia, August, 2002

Fremantle Port is continuing its growth surge, with the port recently meeting new benchmarks and establishing new facilities.

The port has proved itself to be a leader in handling a significant amount of cargo, with figures showing stevedoring productivity in Fremantle to be well ahead of other Australian ports, according to the Bureau of Transport and Regional Economics publication Waterline.

The average crane rate, that is container movements per hour, for Fremantle in the December quarter was 29.0, which is a 1.8 per cent improvement on the previous quarter and is well ahead of the national five port average of 26.3.

Fremantle has held the lead in terms of average crane rates for five successive quarters, improving by 48 per cent since 1998.

Figures for other mainland city ports for the December 2001 quarter were: Melbourne 26.3, Adelaide 25.9, Sydney 25.7, and Brisbane 25.3.

Environmental standard

Fremantle Ports also recently confirmed its position as one of only three Australian ports to achieve international environmental standard certification with a recent external audit.

The port first gained certification in December 2000, and has since gone through two audits to ensure that the strict standards (ISO 14001) are being maintained.

Fremantle Ports chief executive officer Kerry Sanderson said that during the course of the recent audit, the auditor made particularly favourable comments on the improvement in communications, community involvement, integration of safety, environment and quality systems, and the overall focus of Fremantle Ports' systems.

"Sound environmental management is a very high priority for us," says Sanderson.

"Maintaining certification to the ISO 14001 standard helps to ensure that our environmental management systems are working well and that we continue to seek out and implement opportunities to further improve."

New unloader

An example of the ports' aim to take care of the environment is a new $11 million high performance ship unloader at Kwinana Bulk Jetty in the outer harbour.

Based on screw technology, the continuous ship unloader has a totally enclosed conveying line for environmentally friendly operation.

The unloader was set in motion in November last year to provide efficiency gains for current users, as well as providing for the needs of future users of the jetty.

Western Australia's Minister for Planning and Infrastructure Alannah MacTiernan said investing in new, more efficient technology was an important part of Fremantle Port Authority's role in developing trade and trade related investment, as well as reducing environmental impact.

"Reducing spillage and dust is a major requirement of efficient ship loading and unloading," she says.

"As well as looking after the environment, minimising spillage reduces waste and increases profit."

The primary user of the unloader is Anaconda Nickel Ltd, which imports sulphur for its nickel-cobalt project at Murrin Murrin in Western Australia's Eastern Goldfields, but the system will also be available for other bulk import customers.

The unloader was designed and supplied by Swedish-based company, BMH Marine AB, but sub-contracting of a number of elements gave the project a local content of about 60 per cent. The system has a capacity of 17,500 tonnes per day, based on a 22.5-hour working day.

As well as its role in the unloading of sulphur, the continuous unloader will be suitable for handling other dry bulk products such as fertilisers.

The new unloader complements a conveyor, rail spur and sulphur storage facility completed at the Kwinana Bulk Jetty in 1998.

Changes

Other changes for Fremantle Ports in the outer harbour include the recent acquirement of 43 hectares of land and a bulk handling operation as part of the WA Government's $24 million property purchase from BHP Billiton.

The facility handles products including mineral sands, silica sands, cement clinker, petroleum coke and liquid petroleum gas.

Fremantle Ports is incorporating the business into its existing operations and has renamed the facility the Kwinana Bulk Terminal.

"As well as the synergies with our existing business, the acquisition is in keeping with Fremantle Ports' role of facilitating trade," Sanderson said.

From the Kwinana Bulk Terminal, the Ports will be responsible for the shipping component of the proposed Hlsmelt pig iron plant, including the stevedoring of the ships.

There will be an estimated 30 to 50 additional ship movements annually in Cockburn Sound for each of the two stages of the proposed Hlsmelt operation, which is currently seeking environmental approval.

The total additional ship movements when the Stage 1 and 2 Plants are operational will represent an increase of about six to eight per cent above the current shipping levels in Cockburn Sound."