TOTAL container trade at the Port of Melbourne has risen slightly for the September 2025 quarter compared to the three months to September 2024, but the biggest contributor to growth has been transhipments, followed by the empty container trade.
In its Trade Update for September 2025 released on Monday (October 27), the Port reported total container trade of 871,000 TEU for the financial year to date, up 3.6 per cent compared to the three months to September 2024, while full exports over the same period, excluding Bass Strait trade, fell by 3.5 per cent to 178,000 TEU, a fall of 6400 TEU.
The biggest growth contributors have been full transhipments, excluding Bass Strait trade (up 23% to 44,000 TEU), empty containers (up 10.8% to 243,000 TEU) and full imports (up 1.5% to 348,000 TEU). Full Bass Strait trade for the financial year to date compared to the three months to September 2024 is little changed, up 0.2 per cent to 59,000 TEU.
The drought afflicting the 2024-25 harvest is the biggest driver of a slight (1.9%) fall in non-container trade, with 248,000 revenue tonnes of dry bulk recorded for the September quarter, down 14.3 per cent compared to the three months to September 2024.
Over the same period, break bulk revenue tonnage fell by a similar magnitude – 13 per cent – and motor vehicles fell by 5.3 per cent.
Reversing the downward trend, liquid bulk trade rose by 6.5 per cent and “other” by 17.5 per cent to 1.1 million RT.