Fremantle Ports has embarked on its biggest infrastructure project for decades with the deepening of the Inner Harbour, the Entrance Channel to the harbour and Deepwater Channel, in Gage Roads, to cater for bigger ships.

The trend towards bigger ships has impacted ports worldwide with many, including the ports of Adelaide and Melbourne, deepening to overcome draft constraints. The average size of container ships calling at Fremantle Port has increased by about 85 per cent over the past 15 years and deepening is now essential to enable the port to accommodate bigger ships at full cargo-carrying capacity.