Craig Carmody, Chief Executive Officer, Port of Newcastle, writes:
“In 2020, Port of Newcastle’s deep water access and excellent connections to national road and rail networks continued to provide an attractive supply chain option for a range of trade types. Diversification continues to be a key goal for our region.
“The port’s break bulk and project cargo handling facilities were again in high demand, most notably to facilitate the delivery of new ferries and trains for New South Wales.
“May saw the return of commercial roll-on-roll-off trade, with Höegh providing direct services for vehicles and heavy equipment needed in the mining, construction and agricultural sectors.
“The port has long been recognised as Australia’s leading energy port, dominated by thermal coal but with a growing and critical role as a gateway for renewable energy technology.
“During 2020, shipments of wind turbines continued to move through the port and make use of the significant on-site storage before being transported to the build sites. The port’s ability to store over-sized cargo enables customers to benefit from reduced double-handling of cargo and unnecessary truck movements.
“The Multipurpose Deepwater Terminal (MDT) project continues to be entirely subject to the removal of penalties applying to container movements through the port.
“The development of the new MDT will deliver cost efficiencies for businesses across New South Wales and contribute $2.5 billion in economic activity across Australia, generating over 15,000 direct and indirect jobs”.
