Geelong Port is regional Victoria's busiest port, handling over 12.8 million tonnes of throughput in 2012-13.327 It is primarily owned by Patrick Corporation, with the Commonwealth and GrainCorp having minor holdings of port assets. It principally handles grain, crude oil, petroleum products and forestry products.328 Throughput of commodities currently handled at the port is projected to increase from 13.2 million tonnes in 2015 to 23.6 million tonnes in 2050.329
While the port's existing infrastructure is considered to be adequate to meet short- to medium-term needs,330 the potential to grow trade is dependent on the completion of several large scale infrastructure investments. The key constraints to growth are primarily around port accessibility.331 Vehicle and rail access and capacity are both limited, which hampers freight movements to the port. In addition, the depth and width of the port's shipping channel restrict access for vessels over a certain size. The Greater Geelong City Council has proposed several projects332 to alleviate these infrastructure issues.
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327. Ports Australia (2014b)
328. Victorian Regional Channels Authority (2013)
329. GHD and Juturna Consulting (2013)
330. Victorian Regional Channels Authority (2013)
331. GHD and Juturna Consulting (2013)
332. GHD and Juturna Consulting (2013)