Container Trade Forecasts for Fremantle Inner and Outer Harbours

The volume of trade imported and exported to/from Perth and surrounding regions in Western Australia is the driver of activities at the existing port facilities at Fremantle’s Inner and Outer Harbours and along the supply chain. The Westport program therefore requires evidence-based modelling of future trade volumes to project the impact on existing and future infrastructure configurations and operating models, and other externalities generated by increasing levels of trade.

Trade forecasts will be used to inform the following aspects of the Stage 3 Westport program:

• economic analysis of port and supply chain capacity and efficiency which will determine the timing of the investment decision and infrastructure planning activities;
• engineering analysis as part of a port and supply chain operating model;
• economic analysis of the externalities generated by increasing volumes of trade (e.g. environmental, social, labour markets and industry agglomeration); and
• anticipating future trends in shipping, including ship sizes and frequency.