Port Botany

Australia’s Premier Port

As the largest container port in New South Wales and Australia's largest common user bulk liquids facility, Port Botany operates 24/7 to import goods to support the people and businesses of New South Wales and to export goods to international customers.

Port Botany is an essential service and is vital to the economic well-being of the nation.

Contributes $10.7 billion to GSP every year

Nearly half - 42% of all goods in a Sydney household are imported in containers via Port Botany

Port Botany currently handles for New South Wales:

99.6% of containers

100% of bitumen

98% of LPG

90% of bulk chemicals

30% of refined petroleum fuels

15% of aviation fuel

Capabilities

Located within Australia’s largest population centre and at the heart of New South Wales’ container trade - 80% of all import containers travel no further than 40km from Port Botany.

Port Botany currently handles 2.8 million TEU and has capacity for over 7 million TEU.

The only port in Australia with on-dock freight rail at every container terminal, which increases efficiency and removes the need for double handling by trucks.

The only container port in Australia with a regulated truck booking and penalty system, delivering world class truck turn-around times along with savings for importers and exporters.

Current port infrastructure supports vessels up to 15,000 TEU today.

The port’s deep water shipping channel and short transit to and from berth facilities allows for efficient and reliable services.

Home to container related services including empty container parks, transport operations, warehouse facilities and Australian Customs.

Pipeline access to Sydney Airport, nearby industrial precincts and regional New South Wales.

Map

** insert map **

Facilities

Container Terminals

The primary trade through Port Botany is containers. The Port currently handles 99.6% of New South Wales' container volume (2.8 million TEU each year) and has capacity to handle over 7 million TEU.

Port Botany features:

3 container terminals, operated by independent stevedores
- DP World Australia (Brotherson Dock)
- Patrick Terminals (Brotherson Dock)
- Hutchison Ports (Hayes Dock)
12 container vessel berths
3,793 metres of container quay line

Bulk Liquids and Gas Facilities

Port Botany is the primary bulk liquid and gas port in New South Wales and Australia's largest dedicated common-user bulk facility. The port's bulk liquid precinct handles over 5.5 million kilolitres of bulk liquids and gas each year.

Port Botany features:

2 bulk liquid berths - Bulk Liquid Berth 1 and Bulk Liquid Berth 2 which are the common user berths handling refined fuel, gas, chemicals and bitumen
Direct pipeline access to nearby storage facilities and nearby industrial precincts
The Elgas cavern - located 130 metres below the surface and capable of holding 65,000 tonnes of LPG - enough to heat 350,000 homes for a year

Rail

Port Botany is the only port in Australia with on-dock rail at all three of its container terminals and is directly connected via dedicated freight rail to a network of metropolitan intermodal terminals, including the Enfield Intermodal Logistics Centre, Moorebank Intermodal Terminal and Cooks River Intermodal Terminal, which service Greater Sydney's needs. Beyond this, Port Botany is also connected by rail to regional intermodal terminals.

Moving containers by rail is a key part of our strategy to sustainably support New South Wales' growing container trade.

To find out more about how we are investing in rail to meet projected trade and population growth, view our Key Initiatives - Growth in Rail.

Sustainability

Sustainability is integral not only to our business, but to the long-term success of the supply chain industries.

We recognise that along with delivering value for our shareholders, we need to make a positive contribution to the communities in which we operate, protect the environment and act in an ethical and transparent manner.

Community

NSW Ports is committed to working in partnership with the communities living in and around Port Botany:

Over one third of the 25,000 strong workforce at Port Botany live locally within the Bayside and Randwick City Council areas
We support a range of community initiatives in the local area including the delivery of local school programs, sponsorship of surf-life saving initiatives, and delivery of community & public access areas including Molineux Point Lookout
We engage with the wider Port Botany community through our Port Botany Community Consultative Committee and provide regular updates through our community news and notifications

Learn more about our approach to community engagement
Sign up for Port Botany community news and notifications

Environment

We are committed to supporting and maintaining the natural environment values of Port Botany and to actively conserve ecological and cultural heritage values for the benefit of current and future generations.

This includes:

Conservation and maintenance of the surrounding wetlands and habitat at Sir Joseph Banks Park
Active maintenance of locally significant heritage items including the Port Botany Revetment Wall, the Bunnerong Power Station Canal and the Bunnerong Canal Rail Bridge.

The Port Authority of NSW is responsible for the management of Penrhyn Estuary and Foreshore Beach, which are adjacent to Port Botany. These areas are home to a wide variety of native species including marine, migratory and shorebirds, mangroves and coastal saltmarsh and seagrasses.

Penrhyn Estuary rehabilitation Seagrass Monitoring at Foreshore Beach

Project Compliance

NSW Ports is responsible for ensuring compliance with the Conditions of Approval for a number of Major Projects at Port Botany, including:

Port Botany Expansion
Port Botany Bulk Liquids Berth No.2

These conditions set out requirements for the environmental management of the construction and operation of the facility and for ongoing community engagement. We maintain an activity dialogue with regulators and local residents to ensure management practices are in line with legal requirements and community expectations.

Port Botany Expansion

Development approval for a major expansion of port facilities at Port Botany was secured in 2005 to allow the port to cater for long term trade growth. The $1 billion expansion project doubled Port Botany's container handling capacity.

The expansion project included:

The design, construction, procurement and eventual awarding to Hutchison Port Holdings of the 3rd Stevedore contract.
A grade separation on Penrhyn Road providing a safer and more efficient operational environment.
The creation of the Banksia Street Pedestrian Overpass over the Port Botany freight line to ensure the safety of Botany residents.

Other features of the development include:

1,850m of additional quay line for 5 extra shipping berths
60 hectares of reclaimed container terminal land
deep water berths with depths up to 16.5 metres
dedicated road access to the new container terminal area
Additional rail sidings providing rail access to the new terminal area

The development also included community facilities such as a state-of-the-art boat ramp, lookouts and pathways and environmental work including the rehabilitation and expansion of Penrhyn Estuary.

Port Botany Bulk Liquids Berths 1 & 2 (BLB1 & BLB2)

Planning approval to develop a second Bulk Liquids Berth (BLB2) at Port Botany was received from the Department of Planning in March 2008. Operations commenced in December 2013, and BLB2 was officially opened on 21 February 2014. With average occupancy rising to around 80% at BLB1 prior to the opening of BLB2, the new facility significantly increased the port's liquid and chemical handling capacity.

BLB2 is operated under a multi-user arrangement.

The project comprised:

construction of a steel piled pier berth adjacent to the existing BLB1
associated infrastructure, including
- marine loading arms
- firefighting equipment
- onshore support facilities
- pipelines from existing user sites to the new berth

NSW Ports maintains and operates BLB2 under an environmental management framework including operational and construction environmental management plans.

Learn More

History

The modern shipping container was developed in the 1950s.

It became a catalyst for a fundamental rethink about port needs in New South Wales. Vessel sizes were increasing and containerisation created the need for significantly more landside storage space. Botany Bay was identified as the best choice to meet these expanding port needs.

It was a mammoth undertaking.

Initial work, including dredging and some reclamation work began in 1976, before being put on hold in 1976 during the Simblist inquiry into the development. Work recommenced in 1977.

The Bulk Liquids Berth was opened on 23 April 1979.

Then on 10 December 1979 Port Botany's Brotherson Dock was formally opened, beginning a new era for shipping in Australia.

NSW Ports 2024 Community Grants recipients announced

Grant helps restore garden to former glory

Sydney AutoStrad Botany Rail Expansion wins innovation gong at IPA Awards

Australia’s Premier Port