Cargo Club of Australia attends new container terminal along with industry guests
On Tuesday 8th November, the Cargo Club of Australia, along with over 80 industry representatives across two groups were given exclusive access to Australia’s newest and most advanced container terminal, the Victoria International Container Terminal (VICT) at Webb Dock East in Melbourne. The terminal tour was provided specifically for cargo owners, freight forwarders, customs brokers and transport operators, and was facilitated by peak bodies Freight & Trade Alliance (FTA), the Australian Peak Shippers Association (APSA), Container Transport Alliance Australia (CTAA) and the Australian International Movers Association (AIMA).
Federal and State Government bodies were also in attendance, including representatives from the Department of Infrastructure and Transport, the National Transport Commission, Regional Development Victoria and others. Government representatives noted the significant efficiency gains that such an operation could achieve, not only for the movement of freight, but also for future port capacity.
Once completed, VICT will be among the most advanced container terminal facilities in the World, joining only four other fully automated facilities, three of which are in Europe. It will be a major paradigm shift in Australia, particularly for land side operations.
Phase 1 of the terminal development will be ready for full operation by 31 December 2016, and will have one berth of 330 metres fitted with three Neo-Panamax robotic ship-to-shore (STS) cranes, 23.7 hectares of yard and off-dock area, with fully automated operations from the gate to the quayside to deliver an estimated start-up capacity of 350,000 standard containers.
For more information on the terminal, please contact Claire Jordan-Whillans at cjwhillans@vict.com.au
