29 August 2025 – Port of Melbourne continues to serve businesses and communities across Southeast Australia as the region’s key trade gateway. In Financial Year 2025 (FY25), Port of Melbourne handled approximately $154 billion worth of trade – the highest trade value ever recorded.

In terms of volume, FY25 saw the Port facilitating 3.39 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) – the highest volume in any financial year period. With more than 9,200 TEU handled per day, Port of Melbourne continues to be Australia’s largest container port handling nearly 21% more volume than any container port in the country.

“By handling more than one-third of nationwide container trade, we are proud to meet the growing needs of Victoria. The sustained growth in container volumes reflects our investment in efficient infrastructure and ongoing collaboration with government, port users, industry, and the broader community,” commented Saul Cannon, Port of Melbourne Chief Executive Officer.

Domestic goods dominate imports, agricultural commodities continue to reign exports

Port of Melbourne’s container trade composition in FY25 included 40% full imports and 20% full exports.

Of the imports, furniture continues to dominate, representing more than 9% of total container imports, and rising over 23% on FY24 volumes. Other domestic goods, such as appliances, clothing, toys, and sporting goods, were among the top ten container import commodities.

Agriculture goods from regional South-East Australian areas remain Port of Melbourne’s top exports, with robust diversification across key destinations. In FY25, wheat stood as the single largest commodity, accounting for close to 6% of the container exports share. Hay, chaff and fodder, fresh fruit, beef, sawn timber, and barley were among the Port’s top ten container export commodities.

China remains an important trading partner, Southeast Asia is on the rise

For many years, China been an important partner not only for Port of Melbourne, but for Victoria.

Since FY20, the share of container imports from China – predominantly consumer goods – has increased from 44% to 50% in FY25. Likewise, China continues to be Port of Melbourne’s largest export destination, representing 20% of container exports.

Australia China Business Council (ACBC) National President, David Olsson AO, said, “China remains a vital trading partner for Victoria and Australia, as shown in Port of Melbourne’s FY25 results. China now accounts for half of all container imports and a fifth of exports through the port. This record performance highlights renewed momentum in Australia–China economic engagement, where business and government are finding shared opportunity in trade, services, green supply chains and innovation.”

“Port of Melbourne, as Australia’s number one container port handling more than one-third of the nation’s trade, together with ACBC, plays a pivotal role in supporting this long-term collaboration.”

Apart from China being the single largest trading partner for the Port, Southeast Asia has emerged as a key trading region in recent years. Most notably, exports to the region have steadily risen from 19% in FY20 to 27% in FY25.

In FY25, three of the Port’s top five import sources were Southeast Asian nations: Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia – with Indonesia making it into the top ten. These four countries have also consistently been among the Port’s top ten export destinations.

Planning for the future to meet Victoria’s growing needs

Container trade at Port of Melbourne is expected to double in the next thirty years. To cater to this demand, the Port has invested nearly $1 billion in infrastructure since 2016, including at Swanson Dock West to extend the design life of the asset and accommodate for larger ships in the future.

Mr Cannon said, “We are committed to ensuring that goods continue to move, supporting jobs and economic activity throughout Victoria. Similarly, as the demand for trade continues to grow alongside the state’s population, we are working to minimise our impact on the environment and local communities.”

Looking ahead, planning is underway for a proposed fourth container terminal at Port of Melbourne. This, and nine other key projects, are identified in the Port’s Draft 2055 Port Development Strategy (PDS), which was released for consultation in April this year. Port of Melbourne’s 2055 PDS is due for publication by December 2025.

For more information contact:
Nicole Ng
0427 700 844
nicole.ng@portofmelbourne.com