New cattle loading ramp at Port Hedland

According to Jon Giles, the port’s landside operations manager, although the port has always been able to ship livestock, the new ramp will allow for an improved and more efficient operation for port users and livestock.

“The new loading ramp will enable cattle to be offloaded from both the top and bottom levels of a cattle truck simultaneously, making it a faster process for customers as well as being a safer way to transfer the livestock from truck to vessel,” Mr Giles said.

“The new loading ramp represents best practice in animal welfare as well as the capability of loading up to 600 head of cattle per hour,” he added.

The commissioning of the new loading ramp was the final part of the port’s infrastructure upgrade, Mr Giles said.

“Prior to commissioning the loading ramp, Pilbara Ports Authority updated the port’s procedures and invested in additional upgrades such as heavy duty and chainable fence panels to delineate Berth 1 from Berth 2,” he explained.

According to Mr Giles, much of the increased interest in Pilbara livestock exports is connected to recently-negotiated trade agreements, which could put demand for export cattle out from the Pilbara region on the up.

“By putting in the infrastructure now, Pilbara Ports Authority is preparing to accommodate for larger cattle shipments,” he said.

“Planning is currently underway for a long-term solution to cater for an increase in cattle numbers when exports ramp up.”