News / Shippers eye new routes to market as port of Melbourne fees skyrocket

© Igor Groshev | Dreamstime.com

Spiralling terminal access fees at the port of Melbourne are forcing cargo owners to consider alternative shipping routes, according to the Freight & Trade Alliance (FTA).

The controversial fees, also known as “port infrastructure” charges, have angered local trucking firms and shippers since the port’s terminal operators began a series of “exponential” increases in March 2017.

For example, according to the Victorian Transport Association (VTA), the fees truckers must pay in Melbourne to deliver and pick up laden containers have increased by ...