Australia’s container ports are working together to improve supply chain efficiency, under the banner of their peak body, Ports Australia.

Ports Australia Chief Executive Officer, David Anderson, chairs a working group of senior executives from member container port authorities – Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Fremantle, Flinders Ports and Tasports.  

Mr Anderson says the main objective of the group is to increase the efficiency of container movements.  

"We are looking at doing this by streamlining and improving the flow of essential information to supply chain stakeholders," he says.  

"Our objective is to agree on, and use, common standards and simplified processes to develop a more nationally-based approach to improvements.”  

“By agreeing to share and integrate with each other’s existing information communications technology (ICT) systems, and working with state and federal government departments, we can potentially solve a lot of problems without having to build expensive systems from the ground up.”  

A framework for cooperation has been established and projects are underway. Individual ports have taken the lead on these projects.  

Already, a number of the group members have agreed on dangerous goods notification standards and are testing a system.  

Information is taken from the shipping line and sent to the port, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, stevedoring terminal and other stakeholders – in any format required.  

This has significant benefits for all parties.  

“This cooperative initiative is a very good fit with the national ports strategy currently under development," Anderson says.  

"The projected container trade growth through our ports is around twice GDP growth compounding every year.  

"So it makes sense that ports are looking at ICT applications for freight management to get higher productivity out of existing assets as an important adjunct to advocating hard infrastructure development.”