Business Focus

Sydney Ports Corporation is a leader in world-class, efficient and sustainable ports and logistics networks. Sydney Ports manages the commercial ports of Sydney – located in Sydney Harbour and Botany Bay.

Company Background

Sydney Ports’ role is to manage the navigational, security and operational safety needs of commercial shipping through the ports of Sydney Harbour and Botany Bay, which is located in the eastern state of New South Wales, Australia. Sydney Ports invests in new infrastructure to ensure these vital economic assets continue to meet the future trade needs of New South Wales and Australia.

Sydney’s ports handle more than $50 billion worth of trade each year and generate employment for more than 17,000 people. Sydney Ports is an import dominant port and container trade remains the primary type of trade through Sydney’s ports, accounting for 83% of total trade revenue. Trade through Sydney’s ports brings commodities such as manufactures and household consumables to Sydney and New South Wales. Other port cargo includes containerised exports such as grains, cotton and wine; bulk goods which include sugar, gypsum, cement, salt and aggregates; and bulk liquids. For further details on trade please refer to the ‘Trade’ section of the Sydney Ports website.

In 2009/10, container trade through Sydney’s Port Botany increased by 8% – nearly 5% more than other major Australian container ports – reaching almost 1.93 million TEUs. This was the first time Sydney Ports recorded over 1.9 million TEUs in container throughput. This increase was largely driven by East Asia and South East Asia.

East Asia continued to be Sydney Ports’ largest trading region in 2009/10, accounting for 41.2% of our total container trade. Of Sydney Ports’ 41.2% total container trade with East Asia, 8% of this trade was with the Republic of Korea. In 2009/10, Sydney Ports’ total trade with the Republic of Korea grew – exports increased 2.9% from 2008/09 and imports increased by approximately 4.9%.

Areas of Involvement

Sydney Ports aims to ensure a balance between the competing interests of the port, local communities and the environment.

Sydney Ports’ main functions are to:
• Manage the navigational, security and operational safety needs of commercial shipping
•  Manage and develop port facilities and services to cater for existing and future trade needs
• Deliver profitable business growth

The port has experienced over 7% annual growth in trade for the past 25 years and with Sydney's population expected to continue to grow; Sydney Ports is continually evaluating the ports capacity and developing strategies to facilitate future trade growth. Two major developments currently under way to meet the demands of future trade growth and to provide a more efficient port include the Port Botany Expansion (PBE) project and the Port Botany Landside Improvement Strategy (PBLIS), respectively.

The PBE project is a $1 billion project, constructing a third container terminal at Port Botany. The new third container terminal is due to be operational in 2012 and will be operated by Hutchison Port Holdings, one of the world’s largest port operators.

In April 2010, the NSW Minister for Ports and Waterways announced a world first – the new PBLIS reforms – to increase the Port’s efficiency, consistency and transparency by regulating stevedore and carrier performance at Port Botany. These landmark reforms aim to ease truck congestion and freight delays by establishing a clear commercial relationship between carriers and stevedores, whereby penalties are paid by either party for failing to achieve agreed performance benchmarks. These projects involve all users of Port Botany working together to meet the future challenges of growing container trade.

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