SIMIC

MELBOURNE's Victoria International Container Terminal (VICT) is to undergo completion of Phase 3A of its expansion project this month, reports Melbourne's Baird Maritime.

The AUD235 million (US$155.9 million) project is being carried out in two phases. Phase 3A will increase the terminal's capacity by 30 per cent to 1.25 million TEU.



It extends the quay by 71 metres to 735 metres or 769 metres with the mooring dolphins included, and will enhance VICT's quayside operations by allowing two 366-metre vessels to berth simultaneously.



On the landside, three new storage blocks have been added along with 15 new truck lanes, enhancing the terminal's booking system time slot offerings by up to 30 per cent per hour starting in January 2024.



VICT, owned and operated by Manila's International Container Terminal Service Inc (ICTSI), also acquired two ship-to-shore (STS) cranes, six auto container carriers (ACCs), and six auto stacking cranes (ASCs) as part of Phase 3A. The ACCs and the ASCs have been operational since August, supporting the increased yard capacity.



The STS cranes, which have a reach of 22 containers across, arrived in the third quarter and will be operational by year-end.



Phase 3B is scheduled to be completed in 2025 and will include the acquisition of another automated STS crane, three ACCs, and four ASCs, and construction of two additional storage blocks.