21 February 1964

The official opening of the Alcoa Alumina refinery on 21 February 1964 was followed by the first commercial shipment of alumina aboard the "Lake Sorrell" at the Alumina Works Jetty in the Outer Harbour. The jetty also had facilities for pumping caustic soda and freshwater.

5 March 1964

The new Port Authority Administration Building was officially opened by the Premier of Western Australia,. the Hon. David Brand MLA . At the opening ceremony, the General Manager of the day, Mr. F.W.E. Tydeman, made the following comments regarding the administrative needs of the port: - "The port is operated for 24 hours a day. The Port Authority provides a continuous pilot service; it operates all shore operation of moving cargo through the Port; it employs all shore labour; it owns and operates a very considerable mechanical plant for cargo movement, and floating plant; it provides lighthouses, buoys and beacons; controls its own roads and railways; and fire services and police. It acts as wharfingers; it owns and controls Port and Leighton beaches, two of the most popular beaches in the metropolitan area; it maintains all of its multitudinous assets."

These many activities of the Port Authority require a considerable sized, specially trained staff to run the port properly and efficiently. This staff is now housed in the new building.

He also noted that for the first time in the 62 year history of Fremantle Harbour Trust, the staff could be properly housed under one roof.

April 1964

The arrival of the MV "Kooringa", the world's first fully cellular container ship, at Fremantle in April 1964 marked the introduction of the handling of cargo in large containers in the Port.

25 May 1964

The "Lysland" took on an Australian record for quantity of wheat loaded in a single cargo - 29,700 tons of bulk wheat - at No. 9 berth North Wharf. On the same day the fishing boat "Nelma" loaded a small but significant cargo of 11 tons of 'seismex' explosives at the Authority's Woodman Point Explosives Jetty, to be used in the oil exploration industry - the "largest" and "smallest cargo" up until that time. The "Lysland's" record was broken by a cargo of 31,332 tons in 1965 at the Port of Sydney but Fremantle's record was repaired in Jan 1967 when the "Chennai Ookkam" loaded 35,000 tons of grain. A single hold of this ship had a greater capacity than the average total capacity of grain ships calling at Fremantle in the 1930s.

14 September 1964

Co-operative Bulk Handling's additional bulk grain handling facilities for the Port of Fremantle were officially opened by the Premier, the Hon David Brand MLA

6 October 1964

"Olympic Valley" discharged the first bulk load of approximately 9,000 tons of bitumen feed stock for the new Shell bitumen refining plant in North Fremantle.

27 Nov 1964

The name of Fremantle Harbour Trust Commission was changed to Fremantle Port Authority by proclamation.