Throughput records at Western Australia's Dampier and Port Hedland ports, used by Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton respectively, continue to fall as the State's resources boom continues.
Planning and Infrastructure Minister Alannah MacTiernan said in an announcement that, in data provided by the American Association of Port Authorities, Port Hedland remained Australia's biggest exporter with 110.6 million tonnes for the year ended June 2006, but Dampier, at 110.06 mt, might claim that honour next time.
"With Cape Lambert exporting 56.2 mt, the combined Pilbara throughput, at 277 mt, ranks fourth in the world behind Shanghai, Singapore and Rotterdam. This figure is projected to reach 440 mt by 2010," Ms MacTiernan said.
Both companies will look to increase port capacity in the coming year.
Rio Tinto has already completed phase A of its Dampier port capacity expansion to 116 mt per annum at approximately $898 million. The company also approved phase B, an expansion of capacity to 140 mt per annum and additional rolling stock and infrastructure, in October 2005, with the project due for completion by the end of 2007. Costs for the expansion were around $904 million for the port, with remaining infrastructure to cost about $148 million.
BHP Billiton hadn't been resting on its laurels either, with its Rapid Growth projects underway at the company's Port Hedland facility. The company completed its RGP 2 earlier in the year, increasing the port's capacity by 8 mt per annum at a cost of around $754 million. Currently, the company is working on RGP3 to increase capacity by a further 20 mt pa at a cost of around $1.7 billion. On top of this, BHP announced last week that it was conducting a feasibility study into RGP4, worth around $1.8 billion, which would increase system capacity to 152 million mt pa.
95 per cent of trade by tonnage through the Port Hedland port facility was iron ore, with the balance made up with salt, manganese, chromite, copper concentrate, fuel oil, acid, general cargo, containers and livestock.
Dampier's trade by tonnage was 81 per cent iron ore, 15 per cent gas products - LNG, LPG, and condensate, three per cent salt, with petroleum products, general cargo, and anhydrous ammonia making up the balance.
