Port Of Melbourne, Australia

The Port of Melbourne is Australia's second biggest city and the capital of the State of Victoria. Located at mouth of the Yarra River where it enters the northern end of Port Phillip Bay, the Port of Melbourne is about 33 nautical miles from the Port of Geelong across the Bay and about 727 kilometers southwest of Sydney. In 2006, over 3.5 million people lived in Greater Melbourne.

The Port of Melbourne is the busiest seaport in Australia, handling almost 40% of the country's container traffic, and home to much of the country's automotive industry. It is also an important manufacturing, financial, and business center. The Port of Melbourne is an increasingly-important center for technology, with more than 60 thousand people employed in the information and communications technology sector. With headquarters for two of the country's four major banks, the Port of Melbourne is an important financial hub for the Asia-Pacific region. The Port of Melbourne also has a busy tourism industry that hosted more domestic tourists than Sydney in 2008.

The Port of Melbourne Corporation is the port authority that recently took over the functions of the former Melbourne Port Corporation. The Port of Melbourne's port authority is responsible for managing the channel and shipping activities. The Corporation conducts hydrological surveys of the waters of the Port of Melbourne, plans and supervises contracts for dredging of the commercial properties and maintaining navigational shipping aids in the port, and creating the strategic plans for future commercial shipping in the Port of Melbourne.

The Port of Melbourne contains 34 commercial berths and two modern international container terminals. The Port of Melbourne's multi-purpose berths handle a wide range of cargoes that includes motor vehicles and timber. The specialized berths in the Port of Melbourne handle dry cargoes that include grain, cement, gypsum, sugar, and fly ash. The specialized liquid cargo berths handle cargoes that range from petrochemicals and crude oil to molasses.

Dedicated to container traffic, the Port of Melbourne's Swanson Dock berths can accommodate vessels to 290 meters long with maximum draft of 12.1 meters. The Swanson Dock East is 884 meters long, and the Swanson Dock West is 944 meters long.

The Appleton Docks in the Port of Melbourne are a total of 984 meters long with alongside depths of 11.4 and 12 meters. Handling general cargo, Appleton Docks B, C, and D can accommodate vessels to 250 meters long with maximum draft of 10.1 meters. Handling containers, the Port of Melbourne's Appleton Dock E can accommodate vessels to 126 meters long with maximum draft of 10.1 meters. Appleton Dock F, a common user berth for general cargo, can accommodate vessels to 228 meters long with maximum draft of 10.8 meters.

Also a common user berth handling general cargoes, the Port of Melbourne's Victoria Dock is 315 meters long, and its berth can accommodate vessels of 250 meters in length with maximum draft of 8.8 meters.
The South Wharf at the Port of Melbourne offers seven berths with total length of 914 meters and alongside depths from 9.4 to 11.6 meters. Handling bulk cement, Wharf 26 is 266 meters long and can accommodate vessels to 215 meters long with maximum draft of 10.4 meters. South Wharves 27, 28, and 29 are each 146 meters long and can accommodate vessels to 215 meters in length with maximum draft of 8.8 meters. South Wharves 28 and 29 are common user berths. Wharf 28 handles bulk cement, and Wharf 29 handles direct-to-road transport cargoes only. Wharves 30 and 31 are used only by tug boats. South Wharf 33 contains two cement terminals and a common user berth of 210 meters in length that can accommodate vessels to 185 meters long with maximum draft of 11 meters.

The berth at the Port of Melbourne's Yarraville 5 Dock specializes in bulk sugar and gypsum cargoes and is 148 meters long. It can accommodate vessels to 180 meters long with maximum draft of 8.8 meters. The Yarraville 6 Dock contains two berths of 205 and 220 meters in length. The 205-meter long berth handles bulk cargoes and can accommodate vessels to 180 meters long with maximum draft of 10.2 meters. The 220-meter long berth is a common user berth for bulk cargoes, and it can accommodate vessels up to 180 meters with maximum draft of 7.5 meters.


The Port of Melbourne's Marlbymong 1 Dock houses the bulk liquid terminal and is dedicated for nighttime arrivals of vessels up to 180 meters long with maximum draft of 9.4 meters. The Holden Dock houses the Port of Melbourne's oil terminal and can accommodate vessels to 200 meters long with maximum draft of 12.1 meters. The Gellibrand Pier in the Port of Melbourne serves the oil terminal has two berths. One berth can accommodate vessels to 130 meters long with maximum draft of 11.2 meters, and the other berth can accommodate vessels to 145 meters long with maximum draft of 10 meters.

The Port of Melbourne's Webb Dock contains a total of 1100 meters of wharf with alongside depths from 7 to 12.5 meters. Webb Dock 1 East, serving coastal roll-on/roll-off traffic, is 210 meters long and can accommodate vessels to 185 meters long with maximum draft of 6.4 meters. Also serving coastal roll-on/roll-off traffic, Webb Dock 2 East is 150 meters long and can accommodate vessels to 150 meters long with maximum draft of 6.4 meters.

Webb Docks 3, 4, and 5 East in the Port of Melbourne handle general and roll-on/roll-off cargoes. Webb Dock 3 East is 210 meters long and can accommodate vessels to 185 meters long with maximum draft of 9.4 meters. Webb Dock 4 East and 5 East are a combined 530 meters long and can accommodate vessels to 250 meters long with maximum draft of 11.9 meters. Webb Dock 2 West, with the roll-on/roll-off car terminal, is 240 meters long and can accommodate vessels to 200 meters long with maximum draft of 8.5 meters.

The Port of Melbourne is the largest container and general cargo port in Australia. Some 3200 ships call at the Port of Melbourne each year. The port handles about 38% of the container trade in the country, serving 42 container shipping lines and many general cargo carriers. Services in the Port of Melbourne are provided through long-term leases between private sector companies and the Port of Melbourne Corporation.
Two container terminal operators handle most of the cargo moving through the Port of Melbourne, but there are other dedicated terminals for handling automotive, general, and bulk cargoes.

The Port of Melbourne is also served by companies that provide services that include pilotage, line boats and tugs, and maintenance.

In 1854, the Railway Pier opened in the Port of Melbourne to serve arriving settlers and gold prospectors. The original pier was extended to 661 meters in 1861, but by the turn of the century, it could not accommodate the larger steamships that called at port. When it was extended a second time, it was renamed Station Pier. Today, the Port of Melbourne's Station Pier and gatehouse are recognized as sites of significant heritage and cultural importance.

The first group of troops engaged in the South Africa Boer War departed from the Station Pier in 1899. In 1914, ships carrying troops, supplies, and horses left from the Port of Melbourne's Station Pier to join World War I fighting, and military hospital ships came to Station Pier after their war duty. During World War II, many Allied troops embarked at Station Pier for duty in the Middle East, Great Britain, and Singapore.

The Port of Melbourne's Station Pier is the State of Victoria's major sea passenger terminal. It handles cruise vessels, navy ships, and tall ships. Station Pier is also the mainland terminal for the 'Spirit of Tasmania' and its daily service for passengers, freight, and vehicles between the Port of Melbourne and the Port of Devonport, Tasmania. The Station Pier has four operating berths and vehicle access through a central roadway. It includes two terminal buildings.

The Station Pier's wharf is a total 933 meters long with alongside depth of 10.9 meters and maximum vessel draft of 10.3 meters. The Port of Melbourne's Inner East Berth serving the 'Spirit of Tasmania' is 200 meters long and can accommodate vessels to 195 meters long with maximum draft of 10.3 meters.
Serving the Port of Melbourne's Cruise Ship Terminal, The Outer East and Outer West berths serve cruise ships and are 223 and 305 meters long, respectively. Station Pier Inner West can accommodate cruise vessels to 105 meters long with maximum draft of 7.4 meters, and Station Pier Outer West accommodates vessels to 350 meters long with maximum draft of 10.3 meters. Also serving the cruise ship terminal, Station Pier Outer East in the Port of Melbourne is 223 meters long and can accommodate vessels to 240 meters long with maximum draft of 10.3 meters.

The Port of Melbourne's Station Pier is an important part of Melbourne's history and heritage. More than 61 thousand overseas passengers arrived at the Port of Melbourne at the Station Pier between 1949 and 1966. Today, the Station Pier in the Port of Melbourne entertains over 500 thousand passengers each year.