South Australia will today receive its first taste of economic benefits to flow from the $45 million deepening of the State’s main shipping channel, with the arrival of the largest container ship to ever enter the Port of Adelaide as part of a regular service.
The multimillion dollar MV ANL Warringa – which arrives at Outer Harbor at 1pm today (Friday) – is on its inaugural trade voyage, and is including Adelaide as part of an improved trade service introduced by leading shipping service, ANL.
The upgraded service will be able to load to full capacity as a result of the channel deepening project, which saw the main shipping channel deepened by two metres, which the ship could not have done prior to the private public sector partnership between Flinders Ports and the State Government.
It is the second significant announcement for the Port of Adelaide in just over a week, following news by ANL and its parent company, CMA CGM, of a new service to Adelaide from North Europe and the Mediterranean.
“Today marks a special day in the future economic prosperity of South Australia, and its most crucial import/export gateway, the Port of Adelaide,” Flinders Ports Chief Executive, Mr Vincent Tremaine, said today.
“For many years, South Australia has been the poor cousin to mainstream shipping trade routes – not anymore,” he said. “The advantages of having these larger, faster ships include Adelaide on their schedules cannot be understated.
“They allow local importers and exporters the ability to get their goods to and from key markets of the world in the most cost effective and efficient manner.
“Further, the State remains internationally competitive in the highly competitive world of global freight movement and logistics. “We are confident the arrival in Adelaide of larger ships is just the tip of the iceberg in attracting further improved shipping services to Adelaide.”
The 53,600 tonne ANL Warringa – owned and operated by ANL measures 260 metres in length, and has the capacity to carry 4250, six metre shipping containers at maximum load. It is considerably larger, with far greater cargo capacity, than other ships currently servicing Outer Harbor.
Further, since the channel deepening was completed, the vessel (and all other container ships utilising Outer Harbour) is no longer reliant on tidal movements to arrive/depart.
The ANL Warringa will be joined by its recently completed sister vessel, the 4250teu ANL Windarra, in servicing Adelaide, and other Australian ports, as part of ANL’s improved Australia to South East Asia service.
The upgraded ANL service will operate between Singapore and Port Kelang, in Malaysia, and Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Fremantle.
“Our decision to deploy these new vessels underlines ANL’s continued commitment to the development of this vital trade lane,” ANL State Manager, Mr Glenn Harvey, said.
“These large, fast vessels will enable us to continue to meet the requirements of our customers for efficient and reliable connections to the region, and the rest of the world,” he said.
“ANL inaugurated containerised shipping services in this trade in 1977, when it introduced 950 teu capacity vessels.
“Warringa and Windarra are names synonymous with ANL’s early days, and it is fitting that was we look to the future, we also acknowledge our history in this our 50th year of operations.”
The $45 million channel deepening project jointly funded by Flinders Ports, the private operators of the Port of Adelaide, and the State Government in a successful Public–Private Partnership (PPP) – was officially opened in August last year.
The project included deepening the main shipping channel at Outer Harbor, in Adelaide’s north-western suburbs, by an extra two metres to 14.2 metres, and extending into St Vincent Gulf from nine kilometres in length to 11.7 kilometres.
The multimillion dollar upgrade of the precinct now enables fully laden panamax size vessels to include Adelaide onto their international schedules.
“Today’s arrival of the ANL Warringa further highlights the need for the Port of Melbourne to complete the deepening of its main channel at Port Phillip Bay as a deepened Melbourne port will allow these larger ships to full load at all ports on the Australian coast,” Mr Tremaine said.
“Flinders Ports remains committed to attracting more international shipping lines to SA’s ‘new’ main shipping precinct, to ensure local importers and exporters have the most efficient and direct passage for their goods to the rest of the world.”
