Darwin Port is the major port in the NT. The port is currently owned by the NT Government and operated by the Darwin Port Corporation under the Darwin Port Corporation Act.533
Darwin Port accounted for less than one per cent of Australia's total port throughput (by mass tonnes) for 2012-13. However, this represents a more than four-fold increase over the preceding 10 years, reflecting the role the rail connection to SA has played in the expansion of the port's overall freight task.534 A major factor in the strong growth of the port has been the increase in its livestock exports. The port has become a key component of the beef supply chain.
The DEC of ports in the NT is projected to rise by 84 per cent from $111 million in 2011 to $205 million in 2031.
Table 94: Northern Territory port tonnages - 2012-13
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| Total Throughput (mass tonnes) | Containerised trade in TEU | ||||||
| Port | Imports | Exports | Total | Total as % of national total | Imports | Exports | Total | Total as % of national total |
| Darwin Port Corporation | 1,498,601 | 2,800,407 | 4,299,008 | 0.38% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00% |
Source: Ports Australia (2014a)535
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533. Darwin Port Corporation (2014)
534. Ports Australia (2014b)
535. State totals include small ports not specifically listed.