Total container throughput at Australia’s Port of Melbourne recorded its fastest growth rate since 2011-12, increasing by 2.3% to 2.6 million TEUs in the 2016 fiscal year ended June 30, compared to the previous year.
Full container imports went up by 3.5%, while full container exports had a decrease of 0.7%.
Furthermore, the port’s new motor vehicle trade grew by 6.6% to record its highest volume since 2009-10, handling 372,539 units as total overseas imports grew by 10.4%.
“Growth in the Port’s two largest trade types, containers and new motor vehicles, means that Melbourne now handles over 7,200 TEU and over 1,000 new motor vehicles on average every day,” Nick Easy, Port of Melbourne Company (PoMC) Chief Executive Officer, said.
The port’s liquid bulk fluctuated throughout 2015-16 to record growth of 2.5% to 6.3 million revenue tons. Additionally, breakbulk throughput went up by 6.7% to 9.7 million revenue tons.
Dry bulk trade was the only cargo type to decline in 2015-16, decreasing 7.8% to 3.8 million revenue tons.
Finally, total trade through the Port of Melbourne increased by 2.6% over the previous financial year to 89.3 million revenue tons.
The Port of Melbourne is the busiest port in Australia and handles 3,000 ship visits annually.
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