The Port of Melbourne has unveiled its Draft 2055 Port Development Strategy (PDS), laying out a roadmap to ensure Australia’s busiest cargo hub keeps pace with future trade demands and technological change.
Covering the next 30 years, the strategy prioritises capacity expansion, supply chain efficiency, and infrastructure resilience while balancing environmental and community considerations.
It comes as the Port – Australia’s largest container, automotive and general cargo gateway – handles over 8,900 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) daily and supports more than 30,000 jobs.
Key infrastructure initiatives proposed include upgrading Swanson Dock and Webb Dock container berths to handle larger vessels of up to 14,000 TEU, developing a new international container terminal at Webb Dock North, and integrating an additional 29 hectares from the former Melbourne Wholesale Market site into port operations.
Enhancing landside connections is a major focus, with further investment planned to boost on-dock rail capacity through projects like the Port Rail Transformation Project, which was completed in 2023.
The Draft 2055 PDS also flags protecting the corridor for the potential future Webb Dock Freight Link.
The Port’s energy transition strategy is another pillar of the vision, aligning with net zero targets by 2030 for Scope 1 and 2 emissions, and working with supply chain partners to tackle Scope 3 emissions.
“Our population is growing, and so too must our capacity. We must innovate and invest to meet the challenges ahead,” says Port CEO Saul Cannon.
He noted that the Port currently contributes $11 billion annually to the national economy, with $10.5 billion of that within Victoria.
Stakeholder feedback on the draft is invited until 6 June 2025, with the final strategy due by the end of next year.
A submission template can be found here. Submissions are to be emailed to PDS@portofmelbourne.com.
Stakeholders can request 1:1 meetings with Port officials should further information be required to prepare a submission.
