Severe Congestion at DP World Melbourne Terminal

Landside logistics operators are continuing to experience extreme congestion at DP World’s West Swanson Terminal in Melbourne.

For many weeks, DP World has been undertaking construction works to reconfigure the landside truck grids within the Terminal.  This has removed approx. 35% of landside capacity.

Coupled with these landside constraints, DP World has a very heavy program of vessel arrivals this week and next week:

• 10 vessels are advertised as having import availability between now and 7 June; while
• 10 vessels have export receivals at the Terminal up until 7 June 2024.

The result of these large cargo volumes and reduced landside capacity is akin to trying to pour ten litres into a five litre bucket!

Truck turnaround times have blown out on some shifts to over 4 hours, meaning that transport operators miss subsequent vehicle time slots and can’t complete the freight task planned.

DP World WST has now subcontracted CMA CGM Quelimane to Victoria International Container Terminal (VICT) with a partial discharge of imports at WST and the remainder of the imports to be handled through VICT.

This has meant that transport operators have needed to cancel plans for import pick-ups from WST from this vessel and reschedule import deliveries from VICT.  This also requires the impacted shipping line (ANL) to resend PINs which are required to complete truck manifesting into the alternate terminal.

On top of all of the above, this morning DP World WST had to reboot its entire IT system, which has delayed straddle carriers being able to service trucks within the Terminal this morning.  Once again, this will have a compounding effect on truck servicing times and cargo movement delays.

Freight forwarders, importers and exporters should speak with their container transport providers about the impacts of the extreme delays.  Charges for futile truck trips, truck waiting time at the wharf, and additional lifts via transport yards, are commercial matters between transport operators and their customers.

Once DP World has completed its landside terminal reconfiguration in the coming weeks, the flow of vehicles through the Terminal, particularly higher productivity freight vehicles, should be drastically improved.

Meanwhile though extreme congestion is likely to persist, also compounded by the negative impact of the West Gate Tunnel Project roadworks on Footscray Road and the Dock Link Road intersection in the Swanson Dock precinct of the Port on truck travel times between yard and wharf.

Source: CTTA