The Port of Port Hedland announced that it welcomed its first conventional roll-on/roll-off vessel, proving the industry with a more cost-effective way of delivering cargo to the region. The vessel started its journey in Japan and made a stop at Fremantle Port on its way to Port Hedland.
Specifically, the roro ‘Blue Ridge Highway’ arrived at the port on Saturday, June 29 and departed on Sunday morning. The visit was the culmination of 18 months of planning by Pilbara Ports Authority, vessel owners K-Line and cargo receivers Sumitomo.
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Moreover, the vessel’s cargo of offshore piping had been pre-assembled in 22 separate trailers. The roro has an open vehicle design which enables the cargo to be unloaded in about 1.5 hours, on the contrary to the usual method, using cranes, which could take as much as 12 hours.
Pilbara Ports Authority’s General Manager Operations John Finch noted that the aim is to make RORO visits to the Pilbara a regular occurrence.
This would represent a significant cost and time saving for industry. Not only does roro vessel design make unloading easier and quicker, industry around Port Hedland can get access to cargo straight from the port, rather than trucking it in from elsewhere.
… Mr Finch highlighted.
In order to be able to accommodate additional vessels of this kind, Pilbara Ports Authority is constructing new infrastructure to be in line with the Federal Government’s new biosecurity and First Point of Entry (FPOE) Standards that come into force on 1 July 2019.
Also, the new infrastructure will enable vessels that arrive in Port Hedland to have their cargoes inspected or treated, if needed. Without this infrastructure cargoes would need to be shipped to Fremantle, the nearest FPOE port.
Concluding, similar infrastructure is being built at the Port of Dampier and Pilbara Ports Authority is exploring berth upgrades at the port which will enhance opportunities for RORO vessel calls across the Pilbara.