Pilbara Ports Volume Up 2%
Pilbara Ports Authority (PPA) delivered a total monthly throughput of 52.9 million tonnes (Mt) in the month of July 2016, amounting to an increase of 2% from the same month in 2015. The PPA which operates as a Western Australian Government Trading Enterprise, also saw Port of Port Hedland achieved a monthly throughput of 39 Mt, an increase of 9% from the previous year. Iron ore exports for the month totalled 38.7 Mt an increase of 10% from the same month in 2015. Imports totalled 113,000 tonnes, a decrease of 44,000 tonnes or 28% from the previous year. The Port of Dampier delivered a total monthly throughput of 13.8Mt, a decrease of 1.9Mt or 12% from the same month in 2015. Imports totalled 57,000 tonnes, a decrease of 19,000 tonnes or 25% from the previous year.
Dampier, Hedland Port Authorities to Merge
From July 1, 2014, Dampier Port Authority will be merged with Port Hedland Port Authority to form a new body named Pilbara Ports Authority, GAC reported in its daily hot news report. The Western Australian Government recently passed the Ports Legislation Amendment Bill 2013, introducing structural reforms to its statutory port authorities. The main thurst of the reforms is that, with the exception of Fremantle Port, port authorities will be merged or renamed to create four new regional port authorities: Mid West, Southern, Kimberley and Pilbara. The first to be created, Pilbara Ports Authority, will control and manage the ports of Ashburton, Dampier and Port Hedland. pilbaraports.com.au
New West Australian Deepwater Port Plan Unveiled
The Western Australian Government has unveiled a master plan for a multi-user, multi-commodity deepwater port in the Pilbara, which has the potential to be the biggest port in Australia, reports Inchcape Shipping Services (ISS) in its latest Australasia newsletter. The State Government has proposed Anketell Port be built on greenfields land about 30 kilometres east of Karratha, and said the project would boast an eventual export capacity of more than 350 million tonnes a year. If realised, it would be more than double the total exports through the nearby Dampier Port and 20 per cent larger than shipments at Port Hedland, which is Australia's biggest export facility.
Australian Government Discusses Kimberley LNG Project
The Western Australian Government has clarified its stance on liquefied natural gas (LNG) developments in the Kimberley, saying they would be beneficial to the region, ABC reported. State Resources Minister Eric Ripper was commenting on a national media campaign challenging the developments by the Broome-based lobby group Cultural Heritage Environmental Advocacy for the Kimberley (CHEAK) this week. The group believes the Kimberley should be preserved as one of the world's last wilderness regions, and is concerned about the impact on climate change from the carbon dioxide emitted from the facilities. But Ripper says LNG is environmentally-friendly. Source: ABC
