Port of Sydney plan revealed

A $400,000 master plan intended to lay out what will be needed at the port of Sydney for it to make the most of an anticipated boom in cargo traffic was unveiled at the Sydney Marine Terminal on Monday. The plan could lead to thousands of new jobs associated with harbour activities.

The plan, prepared by Connecticut-based TEC Inc., outlines potential opportunities associated with cruise ship traffic, bulk cargo and container vessels, although much of the development would be contingent on dredging a 7.5 kilometre lane in the harbour’s outer channel, at an estimated cost of $44 million. Possible capital improvements projects are also identified, including upgrading the international coal pier at an estimated cost of $52 million, and development of a state of the art container terminal at the Sydport greenfield site in two phases at a total cost of $302 million.

Already, the Marine Group comprised of seven operators at the marine terminal has started acting on one key recommendation of the plan — a survey vessel arrived in port last week to capture some of the data that will be necessary to proceed with the dredging of its outer channel to allow it to accommodate much larger ships.

“It’s important to  come up with a strategy to allow Sydney to step forward and allow the quality of the asset to be understood internationally,” noted Jim Wooder, CEO of Laurentian Energy and a spokesperson for the Marine Group.

TEC, a consulting company from Maryland specializing in ports, presented its preliminary report in September. At that time, consultant Jim Hunt said cargo traffic is expected to increase substantially, breakbulk services will be required in order to offload goods and move them inland by rail, and Sydney harbour is poised to become a major coal shipping port with Nova Scotia Power bringing in coal and Xstrata potentially exporting coal from the Donkin mine.

The ports master plan, funded by Marine Group members Laurentian Energy, Logistec Stevedoring, Marine Atlantic, Nova Scotia Power, Provincial Energy Ventures, Sydney Steel Corp., the Sydney Ports Corp., and government. Wooder has noted the Marine Group is attempting to lay the foundation for responsible stewardship of harbour assets, including capturing economic development opportunities.

Norma Boyd, a representative of the Marine Group, noted that people are starting to see the model of co-operation exhibited by the group’s members as something that will be important for all of the community. As seven individual public and privately owned interests, they will develop individual business plans as a result of the information presented in the plan, Boyd noted, adding that recommendations in the report are common in nature so there will be a consolidated approach.

It’s hoped that if the outcome of an environmental assessment of dredging plans is favourable, it will lead to the port becoming home to a container terminal development. A similar development is planned for the mainland side of the Strait of Canso, at Melford, Guysborough County.

Source:RamblerNews