LAPEROUSE

Ports Australia, the peak body representing Australia’s Ports operators have complained about environmental scrutiny and paying for environmental management and mitigation.  Submission to the Draft National Ports Strategy. 

The current Chairman of Ports Australia  is Jeff Coleman (Brisbane) and Deputy Chairs are Gary Webb (Newcastle) and Vincent Tremaine (Flinders). The other Board members are Stephen Bradford (Melbourne), Andre Bush (Port Hedland), Brad Fish (NQBP), Grant Gilfillan (Sydney), Robert Ritchie (Darwin) and Paul Weedon (TasPorts - up until 2010 Chief Operating Officer at Sydney Ports).

Ports flounder in red tape, Annabel Hepworth, The Australian, June 28, 2010

Container ships at Port Botany in Sydney. Picture: Stephen Cooper Source: The Australian

THE country’s ports are demanding the federal and state governments fast-track approvals for channel dredging. (more…)

Up to 45 road deaths could be avoided every year if just 15 per cent of ‘contestable’ road freight was transferred to rail. This was revealed recently in an article published on the latest issue of the Journal of the Australasian College of Road Safety.

“A simple shift to rail of the 15 per cent of road freight said to be transferable (or contestable) could save up to 45 lives annually (calculated on the basis of roughly three deaths for every 1 per cent of freight hauled).”

The article, written by independent transport and road safety researcher Peter MacKenzie, also suggests that by shifting the same amount of freight from road to rail, 275 people or more could be saved from paraplegia, quadriplegia, brain damage and other long-term serious disabilities. In economic terms, it is estimated that the potential saving to the nation would be more than 1 billion dollars.

Bryan Nye, chief executive of the Australasian Railway Association (ARA) said: “I want to be very clear in that this is not a competition with the trucking industry, we are simply advocating for the optimisation (more…)

 With the Sale of Port of Business will Port Botany be next to be privatised?

This article by Martin Feil, author of “The Failure of Free Market Economics”, comes courtesy of the BRISBANE BUSINESS NEWS May 2010

With bidding underway for the Port of Brisbane sale, the question now leads to how it will be managed? Customs logistics economist Martin Feil is against privatisation, but tells Brisbane Business News that if the Queensland Government is to sell, it needs to do so properly to establish the port as a national hub.

PRIVATISATION has been one of the great swindles of the last 50 years, as both federal and state governments have sold fundamental assets to overseas and local financiers at prices that disadvantaged Australians. (more…)

At the Prime Minister’s request, Michael Deegan, infrastructure coordinator, Infrastructure Australia, and chief executive officer of the National Transport Commission, Nick Dimopoulos, have released the draft National Ports Strategy for public consultation. The strategy calls for long-term coordinated planning of Australia’s major ports and their related transport corridors and shipping channels. After submissions have been considered the Strategy will be presented to COAG (Council of Australian Governments).Submissions close 28th May    click here for terms of reference and other details.

Michael Deegan at Port Kembla 14 July 2009  from the Illawarra Mercury
“Yesterday’s tour was part of his research to prepare a strategy to maximise the use of all national ports, which is due to be finished late next year.”Port Kembla plays a significant role in that strategy,” Mr Deegan said. “Infrastructure Australia is having a look at all the issues associated with ports and road and rail connections.”I’ll be looking at the connections back into Sydney, the main southern routes, the Hume Hwy and the main rail links.”  Full Article

Michael Deegan was formerly Director General of Transport Co-Ordinator General of Rail in NSW until sacked by Michael Costa in 2003.

Ports Minister, Paul McLeay, has issued a media release listing penalties which will apply to Stevedores and Truck Drivers who don’t deliver on time.   “The issue for industry is to increase efficiency and productivity at Port Botany, by reducing congestion and continuing to drive towards high-performing 24/7 operations,” Mr McLeay said.  Sydney Ports will also increase existing wharfage by $10 per TEU (container) for all imports and exports.

Stevedore must pay the road carrier $25 for every 15 minute delay;
Stevedore must pay the road carrier $100 for cancelled slot if cancelled within 2 hours of slot or $50 to be paid for cancelled slot outside this period;
Road carrier must pay the stevedore $50 for late arrival; and
Road carrier must pay the stevedore $100 for no-show.

Sydney Ports and NSW Treasury argued for expanding at Botany and not at Kembla or Newcastle saying it would cost more to bring containers to distribution centres close to Sydney (the cost was supposedly $40 per container - in the case of Kembla servicing distribution centres in Sydney’s SW others, including the ex-CEO of that port,  argued that Kembla was just as quick.)  Yet since the decision to move ahead with the Port Botany expansion we have witnessed increasing congestion at Port Botany and now increasing wharfage fees.  The penalties will add more to the cost of moving containers and as with the wharfage impost doesn’t discriminate between importers and exporters of empties and Australian Exporters.   There is also a real fear that truck drivers caught  in traffic jams in the M5 tunnel may not be so tolerant of smaller vehicles  as they try their best to reach the port in time to avoid penalties.

full media release: (more…)

Australian Financial Review Report (1 February 2009) on the anticipated shake up of Eastern Seabord Ports with entry of Hutchison at Brisbane and Port Botany and possible entry in Melbourne.

The ultimate boss of the Third Terminal at Port Botany will be the 81 year old Sir Li Ka-shing, Asia’s richest self-made billionaire. Through the Hutchison Whampoa conglomerate, Li is the world’s largest operator of container terminals, world’s largest health and beauty retailer, a major supplier of electricity to Hong Kong and a real estate developer. His second-largest holding is the Canadian oil firm Husky Energy.  Li’s current personal worth is estimated at $16.2 billion (a drop of $10 billion over the past year). Previous investments in Sydney have been notable failures - The Cross City Tunnel and the Lane Cove Tunnels.   In 1980 Li established the the Li Ka-shing Foundation and in 2000 was knighted by the Queen. He is an avid golfer who  plays almost every day and reportedly sank his 15th hole-in-one in September.   Link to profile on Li Ka-Shing

The announcement for the third operator was to be made in November last year, then July this year, then August, then put off to early next year.  But here it is as a Christmas ‘eve’ special.

Link to Premier’s Media Release

Link to Hutchison’s Media Release

Link to Video on Port Construction

Link to Lloyd’s List Report

Link to MUA report

Link to Herald Article on Hutchinson after Queensland Announcement in 2007

Link to article in 2006 issue of Environmentally Speaking with reference to Hutchinson and Li Ka-Shing

Link to The Australian report

Hutchinson submission

ATN (Australian Transport News):

Foreigner wins Botany space; Asciano says three’s a crowd

December 18, 2009, by Jason Whittaker

Global ports operator Hutchison Port Holdings has won a tender to set up at Sydney’s Port Botany, breaking the existing stevedore duopoly at its second Australian port.

But already the local container terminal operator has hit out at the decision, suggesting volumes through the port can’t support a third player.

The New South Wales Government announced today Hutchison had won the bidding process to operate new berths as part of a $1 billion expansion of Port Botany.

Hutchison is also preparing to set up at the Port of Brisbane after winning that tender for a third operator in 2007.

Ports and Waterways Minister Paul McLeay says a third stevedore will “increase competitive tension” in the market.

“To be competitive in global trade we need world-class facilities and international operators and that’s what we will have with this massive infrastructure investment,” he says.

“Increased competition will benefit business and the residents of NSW by reducing cargo handling charges for goods that come through the port.”

But Asciano, parent company of stevedore Patrick, says the Government has invested in capacity “well ahead of demand”.

Asciano CEO Mark Rowsthorn doubts Hutchison will move onto the waterfront for at least three more years.

“We expect the third entrant will stage its introduction into Port Botany. Industry sources have indicated that the new operator will not actually enter the market until 2013,” he says.

And he has questioned whether Hutchison’s introduction is being underwritten by the Government’s Sydney Ports Corporation or encouraged with “more favourable conditions” to enter the market. (more…)

BUSINESS SPECTATOR: 7:54 AM, 7 Sep 2009, Commentary

by:  Robert Gottliebsen

Terminal decline

Asciano has done well to recruit former Orica boss Malcolm Broomhead as chairman, plus former ANZ deputy CEO Bob Edgar and former Publishing and Broadcasting chief financial officer Geoff Kleemann as directors.

One of the first jobs of the three new directors will be to help CEO Mark Rowsthorn sort out the mess Asciano faces in the Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne ports. How Rowsthorn and his board tackle the problems will be important for Asciano’s future and for the future of container shipping transport in Australia.

Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne appear to want to break the duopoly in Australian stevedoring between Asciano (Patrick) and DP World (formerly P&O), but at least one or two of the ports may end up in a horrible mess. (more…)