DCN December Edition 2019

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NORTHERN TERRITORY The Darwin waterfront Darren Lambourn, CEO, Darwin Port Looking forward, one of our challenges has always been that the scale of particularly containerised traffic through Darwin is small. Mike Hughes, Landbridge “Then if more coastal shipping comes about… once that happens, I think we are going to be a very strategic part of the Australian shipping route... for the reason that we have a lot of land in Darwin, a good workforce and we are so close to Asia. “Certainly we are well-positioned.” NEW INFRASTRUCTURE Mr Lambourn is enthusiastic about some of the new infrastructure being put in place. “We are putting in [space] for reefers [containers] and looking at the beef trade increasing, we do 400,000 head through here [a year], we certainly are the biggest exporter of live cattle in Australia,” he says. “We also see an opportunity for frozen beef. So we’ve started that infrastructure and we are looking at expanding the cruise terminal,” he says, adding that the port also provides services to the Australian Navy. “The NT government are looking at putting the ship lift right on the doorstep of the port and we see some opportunity there as well to be able to help facilitate some of that industry through there as it grows. “So we are looking at opportunities that come our way.” Darwin has the additional advantage of plentiful land. “The thing we have here is a lot of unutilised land in the port boundaries. So what is that going to best fit for both Darwin Port and also assisting the other trades and trying to navigate those waters,” Mr Lambourn says. A VISION FOR THE FUTURE Mr Lambourn says the port needs to plan for the next 20 to 25 years. “Is [the future} going to be bulk, is it going to be sheds for high quality products? A lot of [our focus] is about that planning, customer engagement, talking to customers and showing exactly what we have got in Darwin. “My vision… is to run a really good operation here and that warrants people want to come and have their trade through this port,” Mr Lambourn says. “Number one, we need to make a profit that is normal for any business. But also services, I think there is a whole heap of services we could provide. “I would like to see good occupancy rates on our berths, a good, efficient workforce and getting product away from the quay line large storage facilities and then back into the community and even to South Australia,” he says. THE LANDBRIDGE ACQUISITION Landbridge acquired (via long term lease) the Port of Darwin in late 2015 and earlier this year, DCN spoke with Landbridge managing director Mike Hughes about the experience to date. “Overall very positive I think,” Mr Hughes said at the time. “It is fair to say we leased the port in what was a downturn in the cycle, commodity prices were down, the Ichthys project was coming to the end of construction and there was a bit of a gap before commissioning and production. “But the upward trajectory in business has happened pretty much as we had expected, so Ichthys is now in production.” “[Darwin is] a very significant exporting port. Port of Darwin 38 December 2019 thedcn.com.au
“Some of the minerals have come back. So the port is performing very well, or as expected, and certainly our ongoing relationship with the Northern Territory government has been very positive so we are working very collaboratively on the development of the north generally.” Mr Hughes notes the relatively small scale of container trade at Darwin. “Looking forward, one of our challenges has always been that the scale of containerised traffic through Darwin is small, so maintaining a cost-effective supply through Darwin is a challenge and we clearly need to build scale.” MACRO PERSPECTIVE If Darwin Port often reflects the state of the NT economy, it is worth seeking some macro perspective. In a recent economic briefing paper, Deloitte Access Economics forecast the Territory economy to grow by an average of 2.7% per annum over the five years to 2022-23, compared with forecast national growth of 2.5% over the same period. “This is the second highest forecast five-year average economic growth of the jurisdictions, equal with Victoria, and is largely driven by exports. In other jurisdictions, the five year annual average economic growth ranges from 1.7% per annum in South Australia to 2.9% per annum in Queensland,” DAE stated. Professor Rolf Gerritsen, principal researcher and professorial research fellow at Charles Darwin University is of a similar mind. He notes that while the economy of Darwin is still fairly slow, there were positive signs in other parts of the Territory, for example a slight increase in Alice Springs house prices “for the first time in about five years”. “I think it is partly that we had an unprecedented tourist boom, mostly in central Australia,” Professor Gerritsen says. “In the north, or the Darwin region specifically, tourism has been flat, and they’re looking for more cruise ships to come in which looks like it might happen,” he says. “Tourism in the Territory has gone up, but mostly PORT OF DARWIN 2018-19 STATS TOTAL ^13 % 2154 vessel visits Dry bulk exports 892,000 tonnes 114 LNG vessel visits ^ 64 in total ^%16 because of a huge increase in Central Australia. “A huge number of people went to Uluru to climb it in the last few months. That boom I suspect will evaporate next year.” Professor Gerritsen says the Territory mining industry is “looking good”, notably phosphate and the Nolans Bore rare earth deposit which is attracting interest due to geopolitical tensions with China – a major supplier of this commodity to the world. “[Nolans Bore] is attracting a lot of attention. The company that owns it, Arafura Resources, is a fairly small Perth company. They are trying to get the Australian government or the American government – they’ve actually had talks with the US government – because rare earth deposits are a strategic commodity these days,” he says. “That mine will go ahead, however it is financed.” Overall, he says, mineral trades are going well, with the exception of iron ore. Cattle exports are also an area of strong business, with predictions of an increase particularly if access is gained to Indigenous land. “One of the constraints on the Territory cattle industry, particularly further south from Katherine, is that there aren’t enough bores.” Livestock exports 397,000 ^9 % Cruise ship visits ^9 % Source: Port of Darwin Who helps those who are key to our industry? Janice Carlson; Dudarev Mikhail Piracy, shipwreck, abandonment and separation from loved ones are just a few of the problems merchant seafarers face. Around the world, The Mission to Seafarers provides help and support to the 1.5 million men and women who face danger every day to keep our global economy afloat. Your financial support would be much appreciated. Donate now: BSB 062 074 Account 1000 8062 (Tax-deductible) www.missiontoseafarers.org.au THE MISSION TO SEAFARERS, Sydney 24 Hickson Rd, Millers Point NSW 2000 Tel +61 (0)2 92413009 enquiries@missiontoseafarers.org.au thedcn.com.au December 2019 39
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DCN December Edition 2019

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