Australian competition regulator says more CTs needed

THE Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), in its annual report on container stevedoring, says that port managers and state governments are calling for more competition at the country's ports, in hopes that it will address increasing demand and help thwart the economic downturn.

The country's biggest ports - Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Freemantle - are currently being served by just two stevedores, Patrick and DP World.

ACCC chairman Graeme Samuel told shippingindustry.com that several operators had already expressed an interest in taking on the long-standing duopoly, and that port authorities in Melbourne were already considering making room for an additional terminal.

Source: www.schednet.com