Session: 12-04-01 Blue Economy IV

Submission Number: 156664

Port Strategy Analysis for Offshore Wind Farm Construction in the Bass Strait Region, Australia 

Australia’s Offshore wind industry is in its early stages of development and steadily advancing. The Bass Strait region (areas off the Gippsland coast and northern Tasmania) is one of the major offshore wind sites to develop. In Gippsland, twelve offshore wind projects have received feasibility licences from the government, with a planned total installed capacity of 23.1 GW. The projects will employ fixed-bottom turbines with individual capacities between 15 and 22 MW. Ports play a critical role in the offshore wind farm construction supply chain. Currently, four major ports—Bell Bay and Burnie in Tasmania, and Geelong and Hastings in Victoria—are planned to support the Bass Strait offshore wind farm construction. An essential question arises over how these ports’ resources can sufficiently and efficiently support the installation of large-scale fixed-bottom turbines and streamline the supply chain. This paper aims to answering the question by analysing two port strategies: Comprehensive Port strategy (an all-inclusive, fully integrated port service) and Collaborative Port strategy (coordinated services such as pre-assembly, staging, storage across multiple ports). Key factors considered for analysis include port infrastructure and capacity, the impact of other port operations on offshore wind constructions, environmental conditions, and port-to-site transit distances. Vessel types, scales, and numbers are also evaluated. This paper proposes an optimised port usage strategy to support wind farm construction in the region. The findings provide an optimised port utilisation framework designed to support offshore wind farm construction in the Bass Strait, offering insights to enhance port resource efficiency for offshore wind development in Australia.

Presenting Author: Hongjun Fan University of Tasmania

Presenting Author Biography: Dr. Hongjun Fan received his PhD degree from the University of Tasmania in 2022. He has 11 years of experience working for a ship classification society (CCS) and 5 years of engineering experience in the alternative marine fuel industry.
He holds professional certifications such as the Australian Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng) and the UK Chartered Engineer (CEng). He is currently involved in two Blue Economy CRC projects: “Hydrogen Powering of Vessels (1.21.007)” and “Pre-conditions for the Development of Offshore Wind Energy in Australia (5.22.001)”.