24 January 2018
Business SA is calling on the South Australian Government, the Federal Government, local councils and the business community to support the widening of the Outer Harbor Channel, to secure the state’s economic future.
Business SA Chief Executive Nigel McBride said opposition to the dredging project, which would widen the channel by 40 metres to allow for larger Post Panamax vessels, would damage the state’s reputation as being open for business.
“South Australia relies on Outer Harbor and the state’s network of ports to export our goods to key international markets, and without a wider harbour, our ability to be globally competitive in the future will be seriously hampered,” Mr McBride said.
He said the current channel size, which does not allow for the newer, larger vessels carrying higher volumes of cargo, puts South Australia at an economic disadvantage.
“If we block the channel widening we will be preventing these ships from picking up or delivering containers to the state, which are vital to the thousands of businesses importing and exporting goods,” he said.
“If it’s too difficult to access our ports because of their width international ships – including cruise liners – will stop coming, and our export industries will be damaged beyond repair.”
Close to 176,000 containers were exported from Flinders Ports’ Outer Harbor terminal last year, and close to 149,000 containers carrying imported goods reached our shores.
Of those, food products such as wine and grain filled just under 48,000 export containers.
Mr McBride said without access to larger ships, our farmers, wine makers, manufacturers and other exporters will be forced to send goods over land via freight trains or trucks to Melbourne, which would add to highway traffic congestion and increase pollution.
It would also add transport costs to businesses and increase the price of imported goods consumers buy.
Tourism will be hindered, because the larger cruise liners cannot travel through the current channel.
South Australia is the only Australian capital city which does not have a port that can accommodate the larger Post Panamax vessels. Since 2014, it has become increasingly clear that the larger ships cannot access Outer Harbor.
Flinders Ports has provided the Environment Protection Authority with a Dredge Management Plan and to monitor and manage potential dredging impacts.
Sea disposal of dredging material, which will occur 30km offshore, is common practice in other Australian states and in Europe, the UK and South East Asia.