THE LAUNCH this week of the Kimberley Cotton Gin will be a turning point for the Port of Wyndham.
The state government says the cotton gin will create a new billion-dollar, sustainable and profitable cotton industry for Western Australia’s north.
Tony Chafer, CEO of Cambridge Gulf Limited, which holds the lease to the Port of Wyndham said the combination of the re-emergence of the Ord cotton industry and the granting of Free Port of Entry (FPOE) status for the Port is a game changer for the East Kimberley and secures Wyndham’s position as a gateway and the closest Port to SE Asia.
While the port has facilitated exports from the Ord in its 26-year tenure at the Port including sugar, molasses, corn, mahogany and rice Mr Chafer said the difference with this cotton development is that recent and ongoing expansion of the Ord and the establishment of the cotton gin provides the scale that has been lacking to guarantee the success of the trade well into the future.
“The fact that the industry is powered by hydroelectricity and will see synthetic materials replaced with natural fibres further guarantees its future,” Mr Chafer said.
“The gin will also produce a large volume of cottonseed, which is highly regarded as an input into feed for the pastoral industry.
“The other difference between the cotton industry and other agricultural exports through the Wyndham Port is that the cotton lint and seed will be exported in containers rather than in bulk.
“This will require the import of containers into Wyndham which will require First Point of Entry (FPOE) status for container imports.”
Last week shipping line ANL put the PAX service vessel Scion Mafalda into Wyndham to discharge around 200 empty containers, positioning them for cotton exports which are set to begin around the beginning of October and continue every month.
“Agricultural exports are an essential part of the Port’s long-term trade as, unlike mining projects, agriculture does not have a finite resource life. This cotton industry will assist in guaranteeing the employment of our local stevedoring workforce that currently sits at around 80% indigenous content,” Mr Chafer said.
In January 2025 Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, visited Kununurra and announced the federal government’s support for FPOE for the Port of Wyndham and this was promptly followed by a visit from WA Premier, Peter Cook, who committed $14 million to fund the infrastructure necessary for the Port to comply with the FPOE requirements.
This funding was confirmed in the state’s budget and will be delivered over two years, 2025/26 and 2026/27.
The essential elements of the infrastructure requirement are a secure area in close proximity to the berth where imported containers can be received, inspected and (if necessary) cleaned. This requires a concrete hardstand with a dedicated drainage system, a container washing facility, secure fencing and an administration area for the federal agencies to operate from.
Mr Chafer said the site has already been selected, the geotechnical work has been completed and tenders to complete the works will be called for as soon as the funding in the budget is made available.
“The project delivery will focus on the infrastructure that will provide the security, hard stand, washdown and drainage necessary to handle the container requirement for cotton.
“This will enable the Port to use the Non-FPOE process as an interim measure until such time as all the infrastructure is in place and the Port’s FPOE status is formally confirmed.
“Once all of the FPOE infrastructure is in place, the Port will also be able to facilitate the import of project cargo and other containerised inputs required for a number of mining projects that are getting close to their development phase.”
The cotton gin is a $60 million high-tech processing facility, owned by Kimberley Cotton Company, a consortium of local growers including the Ord River District Co-operative, Traditional Owners Miriuwung Gajerrong Corporation, Kimberley Agricultural Investment, Prime Grain Pty Ltd and Namoi Cotton Limited.
The facility has begun operations with an initial processing capacity of about 100,000 bales per year.
The state government has invested $9 million to enable the project, including $5 million through the WA Investment Attraction Fund and $4 million to provide land and a renewable power supply for the high-tech processing facility.
The project has also been supported by a $34 million loan through the federal government's Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility.
The 79.4-hectare gin site is serviced by a 100% renewable power supply using low emission hydroelectricity, which the state government said will satisfy global market demand for low emissions cotton fibre.