DPWA reports record container exchange at West Swanson

DP WORLD Australia’s Melbourne terminal has reported a record TEU exchange of 7826 on vessel Conti Courage, surpassing the previous Port of Melbourne and DP World Australia record of 7,762 TEU.

The Conti Courage (IMO 9293789, flagged in Portugal) also saw 5261 container moves, understood to be an Australian record, topping the previous Port of Melbourne record of 4629 exchanges by 12%.

The Conti Courage is also the longest vessel to berth at DPWA Melbourne, measuring 334 metres long, 42.83 metres wide and with a nominal capacity of 8084 TEU.

According to DPWA, it is 28 metres longer than the previous record.

Both TEU and move exchange records were previously achieved at West Swanson when servicing the Cosco Felixstowe in September 2019.

DPWA chief operations officer Andrew Adam said these results were “testament to our industry-leading expertise, skill and capacity”.

“Not only is this DP World Australia’s largest container exchange, this is also the largest exchange that has ever been handled in Australia,” Mr Adam said.

DP World Melbourne general manager Sean Jeffries said the arrival of Conti Courage followed “a series of successful simulations and trials assessing whether these larger vessels can safely navigate Port Phillip Heads”.

“Berthing vessels of this size at West Swanson, with its direct rail access, will help improve the efficiency, safety, and productivity of our freight movements, and will benefit Australia’s regional producers,” Mr Jeffries said.

“The Conti Courage berthed in DP World’s Melbourne Terminal on 25 June after embarking on its voyage from North Asia via Australia’s east coast.”

DP World Australia's Melbourne terminal is, at 49 hectares, the largest container terminal operated by DP World Australia.

Mr Adam said the business was “the leading provider of smart logistics solutions”, enabling the flow of trade across the world.