Port of Albany

The Port of Albany or Albany Port is an Western Australian port located on the south coast of the state.

Location

It is located on the northern shore of Princess Royal Harbour, a natural harbour, that is part of King George Sound. The city of Albany is located next to the port facilities.A dredged shipping channel that has a width of convert|145|m|ft|0 and a minimum depth of convert|12|m|ft|0 provides an approach to the port from King George Sound. [cite web|url=http://www.omninet.net.au/~rcare/resources/awrb/c7.3.html|title=Albany Waterways Resource Book|year=2002|accessdate=2008-05-14] The channel to the port has Point Possession to the South and Point King at the base of Mount Adelaide to the North, the body of water between these two points is called Ataturk entrance.

The Albany Port takes up a total land area of convert|80|ha|acre|0|lk=on, a mixture of crown and freehold land that is managed by the Albany Port Authority. [cite web|url=http://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/publications/tabledpapers.nsf/displaypaper/3710696ad188da9417e436024825706100231f5f/$file/albany+port+authority+statement+2005-6.pdf|title=Albany Port Authority - Statement of Corporate intent 2005 to 2006|year=2006|accessdate=2008-05-22]

Facilities

Facilities at the port consist of 4 berths that are currently operational with a site that is ready to develop into a fifth berth when it is required. The port is able to accommodate panamax size vessels with a maximum laden draft of convert|12|m|ft|0, a deepening of the channel is being proposed to allow capesize vessels entry to the port. [cite web|url=http://www.dpi.wa.gov.au/mediaFiles/porthandbookwa2005.pdf|title=Western Australia's Port Handbook|year=2005|accessdate=2008-05-14]

The port has two tugs (The Elgin and the Wandilla) available for steerage, a 50 tonne public weighbridge , two mobile cranes (5 tonne and 12 tonne capacity), three forklift trucks (2 tonne, 4 tonne and 9 tonne capacity) and a large cold storage facility with volume of 98000 m³ at the rear of Berth No. 1.

The port has direct rail access from the Mirambeena Industrial Estate convert|12|km|mi|0 from, Albany that allows woodchips from the Albany Plantation Export Company's woodchip mill to be transported directly to the port by rail instead of road. [cite web|url=http://www.wa.alp.org.au/download/now/plantobuildtrade.pdf|title=Labor's plant to buid trade|year=2004|accessdate=2008-05-26] The rail line is narrow gauge and continues in a northerly direction to Perth.

History

Albany Port was the first deep water point in Western Australia and the main port in the state until the Port of Fremantle was opened in 1900. [cite web|url=http://welcomewalls.museum.wa.gov.au/albany_history_albanyport.asp|title=WA Museum History of the Albany Port|year=2002|accessdate=2008-05-14]

The first settlers arrived in Albany in 1826 when Major Edmund Lockyer arrived at the harbour aboard the brig Amity.The Port started from humble beginnings when a finger jetty was built between 1862 and 1864 in Princess Royal Harbour. The construction was extended in 1874 and fitted with a T-shaped head and had gas lighting installed. [cite web|url=http://internet.landcorp.com.au/portal/page/portal/albany/downloads/LandCorp_Albany_Waterfront_Heritage_Impact_Statement_App.pdf|title=LandCorp - Albany Waterfront Heritage Impact Statement|year=2007|accessdate=2008-05-14]

Dredging and land reclaimation around the port area commenced in 1893, with a further five dredging operations taking place between 1901 and 1979. [cite web|url=http://www.grangeresources.com.au/images/grange-116--ohkee.pdf|title=Grange Resources - Albany Port Expansion Proposal|year=2002|accessdate=2008-05-16] Albany was an important arrival point for migrants and settlers in Western Australia with over 40,000 people arriving between 1839-1925. [cite web|url=http://welcomewalls.museum.wa.gov.au/albany_history_albanyport.asp|title=WA Museum History of the Albany Port|year=2002|accessdate=2008-05-14]

In 2004 2,685,000 metric tonnes of cargo passed through the port and in 2005 2,990,000 metric tonnes of cargo was achieved. During this time woodchip exports increased by 105%. [cite web|url=http://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/publications/tabledpapers.nsf/displaypaper/3710867a4881567818f79cd44825709a001fe651/$file/albany+port+auth+ar+2004-5.pdf|title=Albany Port Authority - 2004-2005 Annual Reprt|year=2008|accessdate=2008-05-15]

A huge drug seizure was recorded in the Port area in 2004 when the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Customs Service recovered convert|100|kg|lb|0 of powder cocaine , worth over $45 million, was recovered from a local beach after being buried in the dunes. The drugs were imported on a bulk grain carrier "Marcos Dias" having come from South America via South East Asia, three men were arrested as a result. [cite web|url=http://www.afp.gov.au/media_releases/national/2004/joint/major_cocaine_seizure_in_wa.html|title=Australian Federal Police National media release - Major cocaine seizure in WA|year=2004|accessdate=2008-05-25]

In convert|2005|gr|sing=on handler and exporter CBH, proceeded with a $130 million upgrade of their grain handling and loading facilities at the port.

The Albany Port Authority won the national Lloyds Port of the year award in 2006 [cite web|url=http://mua.org.au/journal/aut_2007/logies.html|title=Maritime Union of Australia - Maritime Workers Journal 2007|year=2007|accessdate=2008-05-15] for it's development of new technology used to restore degrade load-bearing concrete piles without disrupting cargo handling activities. [cite web|url=http://www.hindu.com/2007/01/27/stories/2007012705790500.htm|title=The Hindu - Albany port ready to share berth restoration technique with India |year=2007|accessdate=2008-05-15]

The port was visited by the Queen Elizabeth II passenger liner in February 2008 as part of it's final world trip. Albany was the only regional port that was visited during the Australian leg of the voyage. [cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/02/28/2175491.htm|title=ABC News - Albany port gears up for historic QE2 visit Port|year=2008|accessdate=2008-05-14]

The largest vessel ever handled by the Port was the Bulk carrier 71,749 dwt "Maritime Grace" which was partly loaded at the port.

War legacy

During dredging in 2000 to expand the harbour, a large amount of unexploded munitions was found a the bottom of the harbour so that the Worksafe demanded that dredging cease until the harbour was made safe again.It was consequently found that the ordnance had been spilt during loading of excess munitions to be disposed of at sea in 1947 and 1948 by the Australian Army and Navy. [cite web|url=http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,21886112-5006789,00.html|title=The Australian - Harbour stoush a legal minefield |year=2007|accessdate=2008-05-20] Tha Albany Port Authority took the Commonwealth government to court to pay for the clean-up of the munitions. [cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/australia/wa/albany/200706/s1948051.htm|title=ABC News - Court told State Government approved bombs being shipped out of Albany|year=2007|accessdate=2008-05-20] The Commonwealth lost the case and were ordered to pay $5.25 million dollars for past and future clean-up costs and an additional $1 million for legal costs.Some of the ammunition that has been found included a 250 pound aerial bomb, 18 pound artillery shells and rifle ammunitions. [cite web|url=http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=146&ContentID=62770|title=The West Australian - Another military shell found in Albany harbour
year=2008|accessdate=2008-05-20]

Port Trade

The port handles a variety of goods that are imported and exported through the harbour.Products that are commonly imported through Albany port are manufactured fertilizers, fertilizer raw materials, petroleum feuls and fish.Products most commonly exported through the port are woodchips, wheat, silica sand, barley, canola and oats.

Woodchips were first exported from Albany Port in 2002 [cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/rural/news/stories/s503551.htm|title=ABC Rural - First woodchips sail out of Albany port|year=2002|accessdate=2008-05-22] and by 2007 made up in excess of 40% of the total tonnage exported.The Port contirbutes significantly to the economy of the Great Southern Region estimated to be in excess of $160 million per annum. [cite web|url=http://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/publications/tabledpapers.nsf/displaypaper/3710696ad188da9417e436024825706100231f5f/$file/albany+port+authority+statement+2005-6.pdf|title=Albany Port Authority - Statement of Corporate intent 2005 to 2006|year=2006|accessdate=2008-05-22]

References

External links

* [http://www.albanyport.com.au Albany Port Authority Official Site]