Port of Newcastle

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Port of Newcastle
CSIRO ScienceImage 8217 A bulk carrier entering Port Hunter Newcastle New South Wales.jpg
A bulk carrier entering Port Hunter, Newcastle
Port of Newcastle
Australia relief map.jpg
Blue pog.svg
Port of Newcastle
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Location in Australia
Location
Country Australia
Location Newcastle, New South Wales
Coordinates 32°55′S151°48′E / 32.917°S 151.800°E / -32.917; 151.800
UN/LOCODE AUNTL [1]
Details
Operated by Port of Newcastle Operations Ltd [2]
No. of berths 20 [2]
Draft depth 16.2 m. [2]
Statistics
Website
www.portofnewcastle.com.au

The Port of Newcastle is a major seaport in the city of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. It is the world's largest coal port. [3]

Contents

It is made up of facilities located at Port Hunter - Yohaaba [4] in the Hunter River estuary. The port was the first commercial export port in Australia and is the world's busiest coal export port. Annual exports of coal from Newcastle exceeded A$15 billion in 2012–13. Newcastle berthed more than 2,200 ships a year in 2012–13. [5]

The port's harbourmaster is the Port Authority of New South Wales. Cargo facilities are operated by Port Waratah Coal Services and Newcastle Coal Infrastructure Group at Kooragang Island, as well as other operators at Mayfield, Carrington and Walsh Point. There are plans to build a cruise terminal.

In April 2014 Premier Mike Baird and Treasurer Andrew Constance announced that "a consortium which comprises Hastings Funds Management and Chinese state-owned China Merchants" had successfully bid $1.75 billion for a 98-year lease of the Port of Newcastle.

History

Pre-colonial history

Admiralty Chart No 2117 Australia, East Coast, Newcastle Harbour, Published 1852 Admiralty Chart No 2117 Australia, East Coast, Newcastle Harbour, Published 1852.jpg
Admiralty Chart No 2117 Australia, East Coast, Newcastle Harbour, Published 1852

The Awabakal people were the inhabitants of Newcastle (Muloobinba) living around the harbour and foreshore prior to European contact. Discarded shells of shellfish harvested by local clans for thousands of years formed enormous middens which were burned by Europeans to produce lime for building purposes. [6] The first commercial shipment was recorded in 1799. [7]

Dredging of the harbour began in 1859. [7] In July 2016, Port Hunter was officially dual named Yohaaba, its local Indigenous name. [8]

Shipwrecks

It has been estimated that over 200 vessels have been lost entering or leaving the Port of Newcastle. Vessels have been recorded lost in and around the areas of Port Hunter, Hunter River, Nobbys Head, Stockton Bight, Stockton Beach (Newcastle Beach), Oyster Bank, Williams River and inland Raymond Terrace. [9]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "UNLOCODE (AU) - AUSTRALIA". service.unece.org. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 "Port of Newcastle, Australia". www.findaport.com. Shipping Guides Ltd. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  3. ↑ Kurmelovs, Royce (5 January 2022). "World's largest coal port to be 100% powered by renewable energy". the Guardian. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  4. ↑ "Media Release, Indigenous Naming Comes To Newcastle" (PDF). Geographical Names Board NSW Government. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  5. ↑ "Annual Report 2012/2013" (PDF). Newcastle Port Corporation. September 2013. Retrieved 10 May 2018.[ dead link ]
  6. ↑ "Port of Newcastle: History" . Retrieved 17 September 2022. Official website
  7. 1 2 "History and Heritage". Port of Newcastle. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  8. ↑ "Media Release, Indigenous Naming Comes To Newcastle" (PDF). Geographical Names Board NSW Government. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  9. ↑ "Shipwrecks of the Newcastle region including Oyster Bank and the Hunter River" . Retrieved 9 October 2020.
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