The Western Australian Government has shelved plans to expand operations in Fremantle Port after announcing the possibility of constructing a new port closer to Perth.

 

State Transport Minister Troy Buswell has said that Fremantle Port will be retained as a ‘working port’ for general cargo and operating containers, despite the James Point consortium announcing its intentions to extend the port’s container capacity.

 

“Extensive research has shown that Cockburn Sound is the only suitable location for new container-handling port facilities and, given the number of strategic port, industry and utility interests in the area, it is vital that all relevant issues are assessed through the appropriate statutory processes,” Buswell says.

 

“Most demand for imported goods comes from the metropolitan area and locating the new container port close to Perth is the only viable option.”

 

Fremantle has handled almost all of the state’s container trade, which has grown by an average of 7.5 per cent over the last 15 years. Mr Buswell has warned that the Fremantle port will reach capacity within the next 10 years and is not a long-term viable option to dealing with exponentially growing container volume.

 

“The goal is to stabilise the number of trucks travelling to and from the inner harbour and to increase the capacity of the rail system by linking the inner harbour to inland freight hubs and distributing freight movements across the entire transport system,” Mr Buswell said.