Darwin Port named Australia’s best terminal facility

In a shock outcome, a contentious piece of Darwin infrastructure has won a national award. Read what it is.

Australia’s most controversial port has been awarded the country’s highest honour at the annual Australian Shipping and Maritime Industry Awards.

Cocking a snook at powerful enemies in high places, Darwin Port was last week named Port or Terminal of the Year at the annual industry awards held at the Shangri-La Hotel in Sydney.

Darwin Port beat NSW Ports, Patrick Terminals in Brisbane, AutoStrad, Pilbara Ports, Port of Brisbane, Port of Newcastle, Southern Ports, Squadron Energy and the Victoria International Container Terminal to take out top honours.

Announcing the winner, judges commended Darwin Port for the significant growth in trade it had achieved year-on-year, particularly in the cruise sector where Darwin was alone nationally in reporting increased numbers, with total output rising 13.3 per cent to $206 million.

Darwin Port chief executive Peter Dummett said the victory was about the team.

Judges also applauded the support Darwin Port provided to Defence during major exercises with the many port calls undertaken during Exercise Talisman Sabre in July, viewed as significant.

Collecting the award in Sydney, Darwin Port chief executive Peter Dummett said the recognition “was for the team and by the team”.

The long-time chief executive and the face of Darwin Port has quietly got on with operating the asset while politicians have bickered about its future.

In the lead-up to this year’s May federal election Mr Dummett warned staff the operation would be a political football during the campaign, a prediction which proved correct.

He acknowledged the work of key stakeholders including stevedores Qube, Linx and Aurizon and tug operators Svitzer and Coastal Tug and Barge.

“We have a head count of just under 100 Territorians who turn up every day and get on with the job of running the port,” he said.

“It’s not just the port team that have led to this success.

“Ports can’t operate without our stakeholders and service providers and the port’s stevedores, tug operators, the shipping companies and the customers using the port all work together to achieve this outstanding result.

Luke Gosling opposes the current port lease. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

“I’d especially like to thank the dedicated team at Darwin Port for achieving this recognition.”

Opened in 1999 as East Arm Port, the asset consistently posted a financial loss while under government control and was leased to Chinese company Landbridge for 99 years in 2015.

The NT Government retained a 20 per cent stake.

Two top-level reviews conducted by the Coalition and Labor governments, determined there were no security issues with the port.

The most recent, released in October 2023, concluded it was not necessary to cancel the 99-year lease because the security mechanisms were sufficient to manage risks.

Despite this Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, responding to pressure from Solomon MP Luke Gosling, announced during the May election campaign he would force the port back under Australian control.

In farcical scenes the Prime Minister broke the news on a local radio station in a desperate bid to gazump then opposition leader Peter Dutton, who was on a plane inbound to Darwin about to make a similar announcement.

During a visit to China in July, it’s understood Mr Albanese did not raise the Darwin Port lease with President Xi Jinping and, as reported exclusively in the NT News, China Southern Airlines’ scheduled flights to Darwin from next week are linked to Landbridge’s port lease.

Comment has been sought from Canberra.

Landbridge has consistently said the port is not for sale, with an unofficial price-tag of about $1.3bn identified at what it would cost to end the lease.

Originally published as Darwin Port named Australia’s best terminal facility