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The Channel Deepening Project intends to increase vessel accessibility to the Port of Melbourne from 11.6m up to 14 meters draught (how far the vessel sits under water). In doing so, some parts of the existing shipping channels will be deepened -equivalent to around 1% of the bay area. The Port of Melbourne is an integral part of the Victorian economy. As Australia’s busiest container and general cargo port, it handles over two million TEU (twenty foot equivalent) containers annually. This equals about 37% of all Australia’s container trade. Currently ships visiting the Port of Melbourne are restricted to 11.6m draught (12.1m at high tide). The new fleet of container ships will need draught clearance of up to 14m to carry full loads. In the 2006-07 financial year 38.5% of ships visiting the port were already potentially affected by draught limitations because the channel does not allow for the extra depth. The key objective of the Channel Deepening Project is to address these draught restrictions by developing and delivering an environmentally sustainable project for the benefit of all Victorians. To ensure the delivery of an environmentally sustainable project the Port of Melbourne Corporation produced the Supplementary Environment Effects Statement (SEES). It is the most comprehensive research study ever undertaken of Port Phillip Bay . The 15,000 page document incorporated findings from a trial dredge, more than 40 technical studies and over two years of investigation. The Channel Deepening Project is a major step in maintaining our export gateway to the world, with the safeguards of a stringent environmental management process, extensive environmental monitoring, world’s best practice dredging technology and balancing all interests in the bay.
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