THE Esperance Port is among seven regional ports due to come under control of four regional port authorities, following an announcement by the State Government which outlined plans to undertake the biggest reform of the State’s ports in decades.
Staged consolidation for the plan is due to commence in 2014, while Fremantle Port is to remain as a stand-alone port authority.
Transport Minister Troy Buswell the creation of regional port authorities would ensure better planning and coordination of port development, but no decision has been made on which port authority will be formed first.
One of the four new regional managers will be the Southern Ports Authority, which will comprise of Esperance, Bunbury and Albany.
Esperance Port Sea and Land chief executive officer Shayne Flanagan said that while he felt it was too early to comment on whether a port merger was the best solution for Esperance, he felt it was a positive step for the town.
“We think this is a good step and will give us access to a greater level of resources through the economies of scale,” he said.
“It will also mean we are in a better position to provide an improved service to our regional customers.”
See full details on the front page of Wednesday's edition of the Esperance Express.
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