COMMENTARY
NAVAL & MARITIME AFFAIRS
WESTPORT: FUTURE-PROOFING AN INTEGRAL LINK By Patrick Seares, Managing Director, Westport Program
Although isolated from the east coast, Western Australia is an integral link in Australia’s maritime operations and trade, playing an important role in global supply chains and ensuring the nation’s trade connections.
GLOBAL STANDARD PORT The WA state government is preparing for the future through a number of related strategic priorities, including: Westport, a commitment to establish a Global Advanced Manufacturing Hub, and planning for the future of Fremantle.
“
Planning is currently underway to develop a business case to move container trade from Fremantle’s inner harbour to a new outer harbour in Kwinana. The aim of this is to unlock freight congestion and boost WA’s economic growth by maintaining efficient trade, and delivering local jobs and commercial opportunities.
A key piece of this work is the development of WA’s future container port through the Westport project. Planning is currently underway to develop a business case to move container trade from Fremantle’s inner harbour to a new outer harbour in Kwinana. The aim of this is to ease freight congestion and boost WA’s economic growth by maintaining efficient trade, and delivering local jobs and commercial opportunities. It’s also a unique opportunity to develop a global standard port that is aligned with a range of WA
industry sectors, including defence. Detailed planning is an integral first step to ensure this alignment. The Westport project is considering a range of needs and solutions through meaningful stakeholder engagement, including relationships with program partners across government and industry. This will ensure requirements can be appropriately integrated into the project as it progresses. As the Westport program focuses on completing a business case by mid-2024, early planning is underway to identify the constraints, considerations and opportunities for the new outer harbour once an investment decision is made. This includes geotechnical investigations for channel designs that support navigational ease for the container vessels of the future, and a breakwater assessment to develop a design that will protect the harbour, channels and the broader Cockburn Sound environment.
SUPPLY CHAIN & ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS With the preferred freight route determined, connecting to the future port will require significant upgrades to ensure an efficient and cost-effective supply chain. Over the next few years, transport and infrastructure upgrades in the Kwinana area will enable the Westport program. This long-term forward planning is particularly important to ensure that the
An aerial photograph of the proposed Westport site in Kwinana. © Westport.
EDITION 4 • 2021-22
87
