Shipping to Port of Melbourne

The Port of Melbourne is the largest port for containerised and general cargo in Australia. It is located in Melbourne, Victoria, and covers an area at the mouth of the Yarra River, downstream of Bolte Bridge, which is at the head of Port Phillip, as well as several piers on the bay itself. Since 1 July 2003, the Port of Melbourne has been managed by the Port of Melbourne Corporation, a statutory corporation created by the State of Victoria.

Most of the port is in the suburb of West Melbourne and should not be confused with the Melbourne suburb of Port Melbourne although Webb Dock and Station Pier, parts of the Port of Melbourne, are in Port Melbourne.Port Melbourne (or Sandridge as it was known until 1884) was a busy port early in the history of Melbourne, but declined as a cargo port with the development of the Port of Melbourne in the late 19th century. It retains Melbourne's passenger terminal however, with cruise ships and ferries using Station Pier. Infrastructure Victoria estimate that the Port of Melbourne will reach its capacity in 2055.

Port of Melbourne is Australasia’s largest maritime hub for containerised, automotive and general cargo. It is a key economic asset for businesses and people across Victoria and south-eastern Australia. Port of Melbourne is Australia’s largest capital city container and general cargo port, handling more than one-third of the nation’s container trade. The Port of Melbourne operates as a landlord port and are responsible for planning, operating and maintaining port land and shipping channels. Melbourne Port ensures the port has the capacity and capability needed to handle cargo, and that facilities and infrastructure are developed and maintained as needed.

Located in the heart of Melbourne, among growing communities, vital industrial precincts and transport corridors, Melbourne Port is the cornerstone of Victoria’s port freight transport network, operating 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Melbourne has continued to develop and evolve closely around the port, supporting the prosperity of thousands of businesses and the daily lives of many people across south-eastern Australia.

With the necessary port facilities and transport connections to handle each of the major trades, the Port of Melbourne serves as a vital freight hub for Australia, including southern New South Wales, South Australia and Tasmania.

Trade
• Largest container port in Australasia
• Over 3.23 million TEU handled annually
• Over 8,850 containers (TEU) and 900 new motor vehicles per day on average
• Total trade of over 107 million revenue tonnes
• Total trade value around $118 billion

Cargo
The Port of Melbourne handles all cargo types including dry bulk, liquid bulk and breakbulk:

• a variety of non-containerised pack types including farm equipment and machinery
• breakbulk commodities such as timber, paper, iron and steel
• dry cargo including cement, sugar, grain and gypsum
• bulk liquids from petrochemicals to crude oil and molasses
• Infrastructure

Over 30 commercial berths
• International container terminals at Swanson Dock, Webb Dock East
• World class automotive terminal at Webb Dock West, handling hundreds of motor vehicles each day
• Shipping and navigation
• Around 3000 ship visits annually
• First port in Australia to operate as a VTS authority under Commonwealth accreditation
• Professional hydrographic survey