Industry and Synergies

Port Planning History

For decades there has been varying levels of detailed planning to relocate port infrastructure to Kwinana.

Various governments over the years have progressed or set aside these plans, resulting in a distinct lack of public investment in the Kwinana facilities over many years. For example, in 2004 the Western Australian Planning Commission (WAPC) published its document setting out the future for the ‘new port in Kwinana’ and associated freight transport infrastructure requirements. This is one of a series of reports that successive governments have chosen to set aside over the years. Here is an extract from that report.

“The first container and general cargo plan for the Outer Harbour was put forward in the 1960s, and the idea was considered again by State Governments in 1982 and 1989. In 1996, following Future Port Options studies in 1991 and 1994, Cabinet endorsed the appropriateness of Naval Base/Kwinana for the development of additional port facilities to handle container and general cargo trade expansion beyond the capacity of the existing Fremantle Inner Harbour. On this basis, planning has proceeded to examine the possible port options that can be developed within the Cabinet endorsed location. Relatively speaking, the Naval Base/Kwinana site presents the strongest environmental, social and economic case.”

KIC’s Preferred Configuration

If the Inner Harbour freight task is to ultimately move fully to Kwinana, the recommended configuration is for a land backed wharf as opposed to an island.

An island is considered sub-optimal because would be located offshore and connected to the coast by a causeway or bridge. This would likely be;

• socially very unpopular due to interruption with current uses
• environmentally damaging because it would be located on top of seagrass meadows
• industrially risky due to the access risks associated with a causeway and the limitations on access, and
• economically inefficient due to the ‘double handle’ it introduces to the freight task because it requires an additional intermodal hub to be created on the landside.

By contrast, a land-backed configuration;

• hugs the industrial coast and presents minimal disruption to the recreational or visual aspects of the Sound
• has no impact on seagrass because its footprint along the coast is in an area with no seagrass present
• provides a number of alternative exit/entry points in the case of an emergency, in addition to a major freight highway right onto the docks for road and rail efficiency, and
• enables freight to be loaded directly to transport modes that can convey the freight efficiently to its destination. 

The preferred location is northwards from (and including) the Kwinana Bulk Terminal all the way northwards to the Alcoa alumina export jetty. This location is supported by the long-planned Anketell Road major freight highway which will directly service the port and conduct heavy freight eastwards to the Tonkin Highway.

The new port needs to be constructed to accommodate a draught of 18.5 m with capacity to ultimately be deepened to 21.5m.

The existing channel needs to be deepened to the same dimensions as the port berths, and duplicated.

And on a final note, this website explores the several key strategic issues that KIC focuses significant time on resolving for its members. If eventually the sea freight task does move to Kwinana, most of these constraining issues will, by default, be resolved.

• Rail, port and road constraints are resolved as an integral part of the new port project.   
  
• Governance issues can be resolved with the new port being a trigger to introducing a Western Trade Coast (WTC) Development Authority with overall control of the development and business attraction activities associated with the growth of the WTC. 
  
• Industrial land availability will be improved in response to the growth in interest in coming to the WTC.