WEBB Dock at the Port of Melbourne again has been the focus of protest action, with activists setting themselves up on tripods at the entrance of Victoria International Container Terminal (VICT).
The protestors have repeatedly targeted the terminal for what they argue is its role in facilitating trade with Israel.
The protest is understood to have begun late morning and lasted until around 2pm.
According to Victoria Police, three people were arrested.
They included a 37-year-old man from Tenterfield in New South Wales who allegedly affixed himself to wet concrete in the boot of a Subaru wagon on Webb Dock Drive, about 11am.
He was released by police and taken into custody.
A 42-year-old St Kilda East man and a 26-year-old Travancore woman allegedly attached themselves to a makeshift frame at the same location before they were arrested.
The trio have been charged with obstruct police, obstruct a road and public nuisance.
They were bailed to appear at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on 10 February.
A spokesperson for VICT said around 11:00 AM on Monday (15/9), a group of pro-Palestine protesters gathered at the terminal and blocked access to the landside entry.
As a result, landside operations were temporarily suspended for about three hours.
Waterside operations continued without disruption throughout the event.
"Victoria Police responded promptly and successfully cleared the protestors from the area. The terminal has since resumed normal operations," the VICT spokesperson said.
"VICT provides essential services to Victorian importers and exporters, facilitating the movement of goods globally and contributing to the state's economy. Today’s protest affected over 300 trucks attempting to enter and exit the terminal at Webb Dock West, causing delays to import pickups and a backlog in export receivals."
Container Transport Alliance Australia director Neil Chambers said the impact upon logistics would be considerable.
“With a gate capacity of between 80 to 100 truck arrivals per hour, a three-hour closure of VICT impacts on up to 300 truck movements,” Mr Chambers said.
“That’s 300 truck movements that will have to be undertaken sometime in the future, in addition to the import pick up and export receival work piling up on top of the delayed movements.”
Mr Chambers said stakeholders were experiencing “unnecessary and pointless disruptions”.
“Who pays for the delays and any criminal damage to equipment? Ultimately, we all do as it raises the cost of operations for transport operators and others,” he said.
Webb Dock/VICT was previously targeted by protesters on 1 September.