

(Posted on 11/10/18)
Newcastle should reduce by 20% its current charge for ships entering the port, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has ruled.
The ruling followed a dispute between Glencore Coal Assets Australia and Port of Newcastle Operations about terms and conditions for accessing the shipping channel.
In a statement published online, the ACCC determined PNO should reduce its charge for ships entering the port to carry Glencore’s coal by around 20% to $0.61 per gross tonne.
Port of Newcastle chief executive Craig Carmody expressed disappointment at the ruling. “We will use all legal avenues available to contest the decision,” Carmody said, “We will be lodging a request for review with the Australian Competition Tribunal.”
According to the ACCC statement, Port of Newcastle is the only commercially viable means of exporting coal from the Hunter Valley region.
In January 2015, PNO increased the charge for coal ships entering the port by about 40% to $0.69 per gross tonne. In November 2016, Glencore notified the ACCC of a dispute with PNO about the price increase and requested arbitration from the ACCC to arbitrate. PNO later increased the charge to its current 2018 price of $0.76 per GT.
According to the ACCC, a key part of the dispute was whether PNO should be able to charge for dredging of the shipping channel that had been undertaken or funded by users of the port.
“PNO proposed large increases to the current price, but the ACCC found that a reduction in the price for using the shipping channel was appropriate,” ACCC commissioner Cristina Cifuentes said. “The ACCC also determined appropriate mechanisms for future price changes, and decided on certain non-price terms and conditions of access where the parties had been unable to reach an agreement.”
North Sea Port will cooperate intensively with the Canadian ports of Montréal, Québec,... Read more
AD Ports Group has signed a 50-year land lease agreement with Al Ain Mills, a member of Al Hazaa Investment... Read more
Total waterborne tonnage through the Port of Duluth-Superior declined 6.8 percent compared to the 2023... Read more
Port of Antwerp-Bruges closed 2024 with 2.3% growth in total throughput, amounting to 278 million tons... Read more
In 2024, the number of visits by incoming sea-going vessels in the port of Rotterdam fell slightly:... Read more
In 2024, the North Sea Port companies recorded a volume of 66.3 million tons of seaborne cargo transhipment... Read more
AD Ports Group, a leading facilitator of global trade, logistics, and industry based in Abu Dhabi, has... Read more
Long An International Port has made its inaugural appearance at the 12th PorTech Asia Summit 2025 and... Read more
Germany based Rhenus Group has acquired an additional 58,5 percent of shares in the Polish port operation... Read more
AD Ports Group has solidified its position as a leading facilitator of global trade and logistics through... Read more