๐๏ธ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ง ๐ธ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ๐ณ ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐ ๐ฃ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ ๐ฒ๐น๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๏ธ
Victoria International Container Terminal (VICT) has started Phase 3B of its expansion at the Port of Melbourne, a move that will lift the terminal’s container-handling capacity by around 18% once complete later this year.
๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ต’๐ด ๐ข๐ค๐ต๐ถ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐บ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ข๐ต ๐๐๐๐?
VICT, the Australian arm of Philippines-based ICTSI, is progressing a multi-phase investment program at its Webb Dock East facility. Phase 3B, which has just commenced, includes:
โข One additional automated shipโtoโshore (STS) quay crane
โข Three automated container carriers (ACC)
โข Four automated stacking cranes (ASC)
โข Two new container storage blocks
The work builds on Phase 3A, completed in late 2023, which already increased VICT’s capacity by 30% to 1.25 million TEU, extended the quay to 735 m, and enabled two 366 m vessels to berth sideโbyโside. Phase 3B is scheduled for completion later this year and forms part of a broader investment program targeting around 1.6 million TEU annual capacity by late 2026/2027.
From a forwarding and shipping operations perspective, three things stand out…
1) More capacity in a constrained port
Melbourne continues to handle the highest container volumes in Australia, and terminal congestion has been a recurring pain point during peak seasons and disruption periods. Adding roughly 18% more capacity at VICT directly increases the port’s ability to absorb volume spikes, reduce anchorage times, and smooth truck turn times.
2) Bigger ships, more direct calls
VICT is already Melbourne’s only terminal able to receive neoโPanamax class vessels, and the ongoing crane and yard upgrades are explicitly designed to support larger ships and higher quayside productivity. For shippers, that means:
โข More scope for direct allโwater services into Melbourne
โข Better utilization of large vessels on key trades (AsiaโAustralia, EuropeโAustralia)
โข Potentially more stable schedules and fewer rollovers during peaks
3) Longโterm certainty for planning
Alongside the physical expansion, ICTSI has secured a 26โyear extension of its operating contract at Webb Dock East, running to 2066. That effectively locks in a 40โyear concession and gives carriers, forwarders, and major BCOS a long planning horizon for capacity, equipment, and service design in Melbourne.
VICT’s expansion is one piece of a larger portโwide program. The Port of Melbourne itself has secured a longโterm lease over the former Melbourne Market site (around 29 ha) for warehousing, heavyโvehicle facilities, empty container storage, and an Urban Freight Consolidation Centre, with demolition underway and major works through 2026.
Together, these projects signal a multiโbillionโdollar commitment to keeping Melbourne competitive as vessel sizes grow and supply chains demand more resilience.