By Charlene Gatt
THE Port of Melbourne will remain Victoria’s main port, despite recent speculation the proposed Port of Hastings would take over operations.
A spokesperson from Ports Minister Denis Napthine’s office told Star last week that the Port of Hastings would not replace the Port of Melbourne, after a recent Herald Sun article revealed the new deep water port would be the main port.
“The (Herald Sun) article correctly stated that when completed, the plan is for Hastings to handle about two million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) per year,” the spokesperson said.
“However the author overlooked the fact that the Port of Melbourne’s trade already exceeds this.
“Last financial year the PoM recorded 2.39 million TEU movements and forecasts suggest this figure will grow steadily by 6-8 per cent per year.
“The Coalition has consistently stated that its plan is for Hastings to be a complementary but competitive port to the Port of Melbourne.”
Williamstown MP Wade Noonan said it was important the Government did not forget to cater for transport to and from the Port of Melbourne while planning and developing the Port of Hastings.
“The development of the Port of Hastings as a second major container port in Victoria makes sense, but the reality is that the development of the Port as a container port is at least 10 or 13 years away,” Mr Noonan said.
“It won’t replace the fact that the Port of Melbourne will continue to be the premier container port in Australia.
“Over the last financial year, the Port of Melbourne grew by seven per cent overall… there is no doubt that we will see consistent growth year on year.”
Mr Noonan said it was critical the State Government did not abandon the Truck Action Plan and WestLink tunnel.
The Port of Melbourne declined to comment.
