The Director General of the Department of Transport on behalf of the State of Western Australia (the Proponent) proposes to construct and operate a new multimodal port in the Kwinana Industrial Area (KIA), approximately 30 kilometers south of Perth, Western Australia.

The Proposed Action is the response to the efficiency, transport access and urban amenity issues facing the existing Inner Harbour at Fremantle and surrounding residential community. The Proposed Action will provide the State with a future-proofed and internationally competitive port to service container trade, with efficient road and rail transport links separated from housing and other sensitive receptors; strategically co-located in a heavy industrial area with available industrial land. 

The Proposed Action includes:

• A port facility.
• Adjacent areas of landside development.
• An offshore breakwater.
• Dredging for a second main channel from the Indian Ocean to Cockburn Sound, which will be additional and parallel to the existing Success Channel.
• Dredging for access channels, turning basins and berthing areas adjacent to the port facility.
• Use of dredge material for beneficial re-use (primarily reclamation) and, where required, placement in approved marine placement areas (yet to be defined).
• Removal of the disused Kwinana Bulk Berth 1 (KBB1) Jetty.
• Removal of the KBB2 Jetty, with replacement infrastructure to be constructed as a component of the port facility. 
• Connections to existing road and rail infrastructure up to the vicinity of Rockingham Road.
• Relocation, removal or upgrade of existing infrastructure, structures and buildings.
• Temporary construction infrastructure.
• Maintenance of all infrastructure and assets, including maintenance dredging.

The Proposed Action project area is approximately 1683 hectares (ha) in total, comprising two discrete areas; the port (841 ha) and the second main channel (842 ha). The location and extent of the project area is shown in Attachment (Att.) A - Figures, Figure 1. To familiarise the reader with the local area, a 360 degree aerial image from the approximate port location can be viewed online using Link #1 “Westport 360 Images_16.01.2024”.

The terrestrial elements of the Proposed Action are located within an area of existing heavy industrial land uses within the KIA, serviced by existing road and rail infrastructure. The marine elements of the Proposed Action are primarily located within Cockburn Sound adjacent to the KIA, whilst the second main channel extends from the northern boundary of Cockburn Sound to the Indian Ocean, extending across Owen Anchorage and Gage Roads.

The Proposed Action is currently at a preliminary design stage (15% of total design effort) and will be subject to a future detailed design process. Given the potential variability and changes that may arise as the design is further developed over time, indicative footprints have been specified at this stage. The indicative footprints are shown in Att. A - Figures, Figure 2 and Figure 3. 

Preliminary artist impressions are provided in Att. B - Artist Impressions, whilst a video flythrough can be viewed online using Link #2 “Westport Preferred Design Flythrough".

The Proposed Action includes the below physical elements within the project area:

• Port facility (indicative footprint 276 ha) to be used by ships to berth and then unload and load goods, primarily containers, with intermodal facilities provided for freight road and rail connectivity. The port facility will be situated on reclaimed land, to be constructed through beneficial reuse and placement of dredge material from capital dredging. Four container ship berths are provided along the main quay line, serviced by ship to shore cranes, with adjacent container stacking areas. Two bulk-goods ship berths are also provided on the southern quay line to replace the existing KBB2 Jetty, which will service the existing Fremantle Ports Kwinana Bulk Terminal via a conveyor corridor.
• Offshore breakwater (indicative footprint 22 ha) situated approximately 1km offshore from the port facility to protect ships accessing the port facility from wind and waves to maximise port operability. Based on the preliminary design, the breakwater will be up to 2.6 km long and up to 115 m wide. The Proponent is investigating opportunities to minimise environmental impacts and provide beneficial environmental and social uses of the breakwater.
• Landside development (indicative footprint 89 ha). Where the rear of the port facility meets the existing shoreline, a landside development area extends across an east-west corridor to provide connectivity to existing road and rail network infrastructure, up to the vicinity of the intersection of Anketell Road and Rockingham Road. The landside development area will support road and rail connections, empty container parks, truck marshalling areas, ancillary buildings and other infrastructure.
• Access channels, turning basins and berthing areas, including navigational aids (indicative footprint 235 ha).  Ships accessing the port will navigate from the central portion of Cockburn Sound to the port facility via two separate access channels; one access channel to the container berths (which also provide through-access to the existing Calista Channel) and another access channel to the bulk-goods berths. A turning basin and berthing areas are provided for each access channel. The access channels, turning basins and berthing areas will be constructed and maintained to variable depths, up to a maximum of -17.4 m chart datum.
• Second main channel, including navigational aids (indicative footprint 626 ha) which will be dredged to provide access from the Indian Ocean to Cockburn Sound. The second main will be wider and deeper than the existing sole channel (Success Channel) that currently provides large vessel access to Cockburn Sound from the north, to facilitate larger capacity ships. The second main channel will also reduce operational risk and increase operational capacity by providing a second point of access into and out of Cockburn Sound. The preliminary design identifies the second main channel to be approximately 21 km in length, with a variable width between 250-470 m (including batters), as shown in Att. A - Figures, Figure 4. The minimum channel design depth is -17.9 m chart datum, with some sections being deeper up to a maximum design depth of -19.5 m chart datum.

The Proposed Action includes the following construction elements:

• Capital dredging (total volume estimated to be up to 35 million cubic metres). This estimate is based on the current 15% preliminary design stage, and therefore is subject to variability which will be refined through the future detailed design stage. Dredge material will be beneficially re-used (primarily reclamation) and, where required, placed in approved marine placement areas (yet to be defined). The Proponent is also investigating additional opportunities for other targeted beneficial re-usage, for example beach nourishment and seagrass habitat restoration, subject to dredge material suitability and availability.
• Reclamation works for the port facility and offshore breakwater, using dredge material.
• Terrestrial bulk earthworks, within the port facility and landside development area.
• Pile driving works, to construct the port facility quay lines.
• Relocation, removal or upgrade of existing infrastructure, structures and buildings. This will include removal of KBB1 (disused) and KBB2, as well as existing structures within the landside development area.
• Temporary construction infrastructure, including staging and laydown areas.

Preliminary schedule estimates indicate construction may take up to 15 years in total, inclusive of commissioning.

With respect to operational elements:

• The ultimate operational lifespan of the port will be subject to future State Government decision making. The port assets have a design lifespan of at least 50 years. 
• The Proposed Action includes maintenance dredging of the second main channel, access channels, turning basins and berthing areas. Maintenance dredging requirements (over the long-term operational lifespan of the port) are not yet fully defined and maintenance dredging will be undertaken as required to support future port operations and maintain capital dredge widths and depths.  

The Proposed Action is a stand-alone action and is not a component of a larger action, as it does not rely on, nor is it co-dependent on, any additional actions to be undertaken before or after for it to be viable. The Proposed Action (i.e. construction and operation of the port) can be implemented to connect into the existing road and rail network. Any future road and rail infrastructure network upgrades outside of the project area that may be progressed would be done so by separate proponents to service the overall Perth South West road and rail network needs; associated with improving access, improving safety outcomes and accommodating the predicted increased traffic demand associated with population and economic growth.

Assessment pathway

The WA Environmental Protection Authority is also assessing the Proposed Action, through a Public Environment Review pathway, pursuant to the WA Environmental Protection Act 1986 (assessment number 2416). 

The Proposed Action is likely to be a Controlled Action. The Proponent requests that the determined EPBC Act assessment pathway is through an accredited WA assessment process.