DCN September Edition 2019

WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Port Hedland is the largest port by tonnage in Australia
In addition to CROP, ground-breaking modelling has increased
declared depth availability at Port Hedland by 71 centimetres.
A Dynamic Under Keel Clearance system, which takes a wider look
at tidal variations, combined with Portable Pilot Units which gives
pilots the ability to see exactly where they are while transiting, have
allowed for a minimum clearance of 90 centimetres under vessels.
Mr Johnston says that extra clearance will make the port more
attractive to customers given that every 10 centimetres of clearance
equates to an extra 1200 tonnes of cargo on a large iron ore carrier.
The infrastructure at the Port of Port Hedland has also been
boosted by a state-of-the art Integrated Marine Operations Centre
which will replace the old shipping control tower.
Mr Johnston says the capital expenditure in the harbour sends a
signal to landside infrastructure operators that the port is ready to
do bigger business.
“They are not going to invest unless it can be proven we have the
channel capacity. What we are doing is showing that we have the
capacity to handle much more,” he says.
Total throughput at the Port of Port Hedland for 2018-19 was
down 1% year on year to 513.3 million tonnes, slightly better than
the Port of Dampier, where the total throughput was down 2% year
on year to 172.9 million tonnes.
The figures were not helped by Cyclone Veronica, which shut
down the Port of Port Hedland for 92.5 hours, the Port of Dampier
for 132 hours, and the Port of Ashburton for 109.5 hours.
“There was no damage. You get minor damage but nothing very
serious. But that’s one of the biggest shutdowns I’ve seen in eight
and a half years,” Mr Johnston says.
“Right across the Pilbara, the effect was pretty sizeable in terms
of stopping shipping for 10 or so days.”
But barring cyclones, things are likely to be on the increase for
the Pilbara ports, where projects like Fortescue’s Eliwanna mine
and railway has been launched. The rail is expected to first load of
iron ore to Port Hedland in December 2020.
Mr Johnston is reluctant to comment on specific mining
projects but the PPA is well positioned to take advantage of what he
described as renewals of mines in the region.
“I think we’ll start to see right across the board a significant uplift
in project cargo and associated cargo in the next year or two,” he says.
MIXED BAG FOR MID WEST
The 2018-19 financial year was a year of small but hard-won gains
for the Port of Geraldton where strategies have been put in place for
significant growth into the future.
At the Port of Geraldton, the number of a vessel movements rose by
13 in the last financial year to 414 and total throughput was 15.905m
tonnes, up on 15.886m tonnes the previous year.
The port has had to dig deep since the completion of Mount
Gibson Iron’s mining operations at Mount Gibson, which exported
from Geraldton.
Mid West Ports Authority CEO Rochelle Macdonald says a
breakdown at a mine site also led to a reduction in iron ore trucks
delivering to the port.
But Dr Macdonald says an increase in grain shipments offset the
decrease in iron ore shipments.
The Port of Geraldton also picked up lower grade cargo, such as
haematite, which made up for some of the lost business.
However, in what can be a frustrating game of swings and
roundabouts, weather events towards the end of the financial year
obstructed the port’s ability to make up for lost ground.
DIVERSITY IN PORTS
Mid West Ports Authority’s CEO Rochelle
Macdonald does not see her appointment as a
sign that gender ratios in Australian ports are
about to change.
Dr Macdonald says ports are still an “old school
industry” but the number of women working in
ports is increasing.
She says women are winning positions based
on merit rather than their gender and cites the
executive team of Mid West Ports as an example.
“I have myself and three other women and two
gentlemen. We have more females than males.
I don’t know of any other panel in Australia that
has that gender diversity,” she says.
But Dr Macdonald says diversity is not just
about numbers. She says businesses
can best respond to the community
by having diversity of opinion,
which requires diversity within the
workforce.
Dr Macdonald does not promote
any particular path for women into the
industry.
“In my port, women can do anything.
If they want to become a sparky, a
boilermaker, it’s open. It’s all about the
best person for the job,” she says.
The Mid West Ports Authority will
hold an open day later this year to
promote career opportunities.
Dr Rochelle Macdonald, CEO,
Mid West Ports Authority
Philip Schubert; Mid West Ports Authority
40 September 2019
thedcn.com.au