Tasmania Ports near 11m tonnes for year

THE ISLAND state’s ports have already handled more than 10.7 million tonnes of freight this financial year, according to a Q3 year-to-date trade report issued by TasPorts.

Key commodities through the primary ports of Bell Bay, Burnie, Devonport, and Hobart include the importation of fuels and consumer goods and the export of forestry, mining, and industrial commodities. Notably, forestry exports have surpassed 2.5 million tonnes YTD (↑0.8%), with a small drop in demand for woodchips offset by an increase in log exports.

The Port of Burnie once again handled the largest volume of trade (34%) with a mix of forestry, fuels, general cargo and minerals transited. Industry confidence in Burnie remains strong, as evidenced by TasRail’s federally funded $82 million Shiploader Project, improving services for the mining industry.

The Port of Devonport remains the state's key port for containerised goods, with 49% of the market share transited, carried aboard the ships of SeaRoad Shipping and TT Line. Overall, almost three million tonnes of freight have transited the port YTD, being 28% of the market share.

By comparison, the Port of Bell Bay handled only 5% of containerised units for domestic and international export, even though it has the state’s only direct calls by international services, provided by MSC and COSCO. However, overall tonnage transited was more than 2.6 million tonnes, highlighting the port's role as a key facilitator of forestry exports.

The Port of Hobart continues to play an essential role as Australia's home port for Antarctic exploration and scientific research, supporting the AAP's RSV Nuyina, CSIRO's Investigator and the French icebreaker l'Astrolabe, as well as visiting vessels. To the end of March more than 80 cruise vessels visited the port, cementing its reputation as Tasmania's most popular cruise destination, with a total of 126 visits YTD to the state.

TasPorts says more than 457,000 TEU moved through Tasmania’s ports this financial year — underscoring the importance of reliable infrastructure to the state’s exporters and supply chains. FYTD to end March Devonport handled 224,815 TEU, Burnie 199,151 TEU and Bell Bay 23,507 TEU.

Amongst lesser freight-handling ports King Island shipped 5,297 TEU, Hobart 2,532 TEU, Stanley 1,449 TEU and Flinders Island 604 TEU.

YTD figures note the export of more than 12,000 TEU of dairy, alongside almost 17,000 TEU of fruit and vegetables.

In terms of tonnage, this equates to more than 178,000 tonnes of fruit and vegetables and 153,000 tonnes of dairy — a clear sign of the ongoing demand for Tasmanian-made and grown produce, TasPorts says.