The shipping platform

Location: The port of Fremantle is a modern deepwater port at the mouth of the Swan River on the SW coast of Australia. The Outer Harbour is situated 20km S of the river mouth at Kwinana. General overview: The port consists of outer and inner harbour. The Outer Harbour handles dry and liquid bulk cargoes such as grain, petroleum products, caustic soda, alumina, sands, cement clinker, sulphur and fertilisers. The Inner Harbour within the mouth of the river, handles the port's general cargo, containers, breakbulk, livestock and cruise ships. A project to deepen the Inner Harbour, Entrance Channel and Deepwater Channel has recently been completed, enabling larger vessels, with a draught up to 14m, to enter fully loaded. The port is managed using the new "Voyager Port Management System" to support vessel scheduling, berth allocation, pilotage and other operations. Imports: Petroleum products, steel, fertilisers, chemicals, timber, containers, motor vehicles, general cargo, caustic soda. Exports: Petroleum products, grain, oil seed, wool, meat, fruit, minerals, livestock, containers, alumina, general cargo. Load line zone: Summer. Tide is used for the navigation of vessels and a minimum Under Keel Clearance of 1.0m is required for vessels using the Inner Harbour. Deep draught tankers may transit at a reduced UKC when bound to or from BP refinery under a controlled programme based on wave and tide analysis. No shore cranes are available, cranes (ranging from SWL 55t to 500t) are always hired from outside by the attending stevedores based on lifting capacities.