Australia's TasPorts has commenced consultation on a new 30-year master plan setting out the long-term vision for Tasmania’s four major ports at Bell Bay, Burnie, Devonport and Hobart.
The port master plan 2027 is intended to provide a framework for future decision-making and infrastructure investment across the multi-port network.
Chief Executive Officer Captain Allan Gray said 99 per cent of Tasmania’s freight arrives by ship, making the ports important economic infrastructure.
Over the next 12 months, TasPorts will consult port users, tenants, supply chain partners and local communities to gather input for the strategy.
The new strategy will replace the 2018 port master plan, which had a 15-year planning horizon.
That plan led to more than AU$400 million in developments, including the QuayLink Project at the Port of Devonport and the Macquarie Wharf redevelopment project in Hobart.
The Hobart redevelopment will provide a long-term berth for the Australian Antarctic Division’s icebreaker RSV Nuyina.
TasPorts said the 30-year horizon would align future marine and landside renewal timeframes with long-term trade and economic activity.