Lake type Cargo port Surface area 1.4 km (0.54 sq mi) Area 140 ha Primary outflows Tasman Sea, Pacific Ocean | Basin countries Australia Average depth 6.1 m (20 ft) Catchment area 6.3 km² Settlements Wollongong, Port Kembla | |
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Location Illawarra, New South Wales Water volume 8,439,000 m (298,000,000 cu ft) Managing agency Port Kembla Port Corporation | ||
Port Kembla is a man-made cargo port or artificial harbour, with an outer harbour protected by breakwaters and an inner harbour constructed by dredging, located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia.
Contents
Activities within the port are managed by the Port Kembla Port Corporation.
Iron ore
The first shipment of iron ore for use in Australian Iron and Steel's new blast furnace was received from Whyalla, South Australia in 1928. The ore shipment of 5,500 tonnes had been mined by the Broken Hill Proprietary Company at Iron Knob in the Middleback Ranges. In 1952 the first Yampi-class bulk carriers delivered iron ore to Port Kembla, carrying maximum loads of 11,000 tonnes.
Location and features
Located to the east of the Wollongong suburb of Port Kembla, the harbour of Port Kembla comprises a 8,439 megalitres (298.0×106 cu ft) body of water with a surface area of 1.4 square kilometres (0.54 sq mi) at a dredged average depth of 6.1 metres (20 ft) drawn from a catchment area of 6.3 square kilometres (2.4 sq mi).
The port of Port Kembla was established in the late 1890s to facilitate the export of coal from the mines of the Illawarra region. Diversification of the port facilities during the late-1980s and since, has seen the port to include general and break bulk cargoes, containers and motor vehicle imports, and bulk grain exports.
Regulation of the port rests with a number of federal, state, and local government agencies including the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, the Environment Protection Authority, and Wollongong City Council.