Port of Hastings Development Authority CEO, Mike Lean, has welcomed the Victorian Government’s freight and logistics plan’s confirmation that an expanded Port of Hastings is critical to securing the economic vitality of Victoria and cementing Victoria’s status as the freight and logistics capital of the country.
Mr Lean said the plan, Victoria – The Freight State, released by the Victorian Government last week, underscored the critical need for the expansion of the port to be accelerated to complement capacity at the Port of Melbourne, by the mid-2020s.
“ Victoria – The Freight State confirms that an expanded Port of Hastings will be vital for Victoria to continue to accommodate significant growth in container trade and meet the demands of the future, including bigger vessels carrying larger loads.
“With the Port of Melbourne expected to reach capacity by the mid-2020s and Victoria’s container freight task projected to quadruple by 2050, the expansion of the Port of Hastings is essential to meet the freight challenges of the future.
“The Plan confirms that with existing deep water access and sea and land-side infrastructure located at the doorstep of key consumer markets and growing manufacturing areas to the south and east of Melbourne, expanding the Port of Hastings is the logical step for securing Victoria’s freight and logistics sector.”
Mr Lean said the Port of Hastings Development Authority had made significant progress since it was established to commence planning for an expanded port, having received a significant $110 million boost in the recent State Budget.
“ We have assembled a strong team, combining local knowledge with international experience, who are undertaking the critical desktop and field based analysis we need to ensure that we get planning absolutely right.
“The analysis effort will increase over the coming months, with field based geotechnical works expected to get underway before the end of the year to give us an up-to-date baseline of important information such as soil and rock characteristics of the local land-side and marine conditions in the port development site and surrounds.
“We will continue to update the community on development activities and will be providing new opportunities for local residents to learn more about what’s planned and participate in the planning process ,” Mr Lean said.
“ For more than 40 years, Hastings has been identified as the site for a major port and industrial development and more than 3000 hectares of land is zoned for port-related use. We are looking forward to finally realising this vision and to creating a world-class facility to help secure Victoria’s economic future.”
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Press Release, August 21, 2013