“This is an achievement that all of those who have helped build the terminal and are invested in the success of the State of Victoria should celebrate,” said Anders Dømmestrup, VICT Chief Executive Officer.
“VICT, one of the most technologically advanced container terminals in the world, brings the future of container terminal operations to Australia. While still in the early stages of operation, the results and consistent improvement have been very promising, especially considering the challenges of ramping up productivity at automated terminals. Moving forward, we are very confident that we will be able to achieve our target efficiency levels, which is the focal point of this whole project. The success of VICT is the success of the whole state of Victoria,” he added.
The judging panel recognised the project for the significance and role of automation at Australia’s largest container port, improving operational capacity and efficiency, as well as the port’s ability to service larger capacity vessels.
The state-of-the-art Port of Melbourne project won against five other finalists from Australia and New Zealand, which included Sydney Airport Integrated Operations Centre, Sydney; The Mega Train Project, Newcastle; and UBERZones, Melbourne.
A subsidiary of International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI), VICT opened for business in January. ICTSI signed an agreement with the Port of Melbourne Corporation in 2014 for the design, construction, commissioning, operation, maintenance and financing of VICT. The automated terminal is the first of its kind in the ICTSI Group, and is the most advanced in Australia in terms of the level of automation. With its strategic location and projected efficiency levels, the USD400 million project is poised to become Australia’s premier port.
Organised by Infrastructure Partnerships Australia, an independent organisation focused on excellence in social and economic infrastructure, the annual National Infrastructure Awards recognises excellence in public administration and business across major projects.