The Port of Melbourne has recorded a second consecutive year of record trade, handling 3.5 million TEUs in Calendar Year 2025, according to its inaugural Trade in Review.
In his foreword, Saul Cannon, Chief Executive Officer, Port of Melbourne, said Australia’s trade performance remains fundamentally dependent on ports despite ongoing global volatility.
“As an island nation, Australia’s prosperity depends on its ports as vital economic gateways – bringing in the goods that businesses and communities rely on every day, while enabling exporters to connect with global markets,” he said.
The port said 2025 trade was underpinned by resilient supply chains, with goods flows continuing despite geopolitical uncertainty, tariff shifts and uneven global demand conditions.
It added that while tariff volatility was a feature of the global environment, direct impacts on volumes remained limited.
Southeast Asia has now become the port’s largest export region, accounting for over a quarter of container exports.
Exports to the US also remained steady, particularly beef shipments, supported by supply constraints in the US market and comparatively favourable tariff exposure for Australian producers.
READ: Port of Melbourne container volumes up 7 per cent in April
On the import side, containerised consumer goods strengthened through 2025, reflecting improving domestic demand as inflation eased and household incomes gradually recovered.
The port also pointed to a recovery in categories previously impacted by post-pandemic demand normalisation, alongside increased inflows of competitively priced Chinese exports partially redirected from weaker US demand.
Motor vehicle imports remained elevated, stabilising at higher levels following pandemic-era disruption.
While Japan remains the largest source market, China has emerged as a significant automotive exporter, overtaking Thailand as the second-largest origin country, signalling a structural shift in global vehicle supply chains.
READ: VICT commissions four Kalmar hybrid ACCs in Melbourne
Of the 3.5 million TEUs handled in 2025, 1.37 million TEUs were full overseas imports and 662,000 TEUs were full overseas exports. Imports were dominated by China at 441,000 TEU, followed by Vietnam, the US and Thailand.
Exports were more geographically diverse, with China, Japan and New Zealand among the leading destinations, while Southeast Asia accounted for the largest regional share of export flows.
Empty containers represented 28 per cent of throughput, reflecting ongoing repositioning across global liner networks.
Beyond containerised trade, the port handled 91.4 million revenue tonnes of containerised cargo, alongside 8.6 million tonnes of motor vehicles, 5.6 million tonnes of dry bulk, 5.4 million tonnes of liquid bulk and 1.0 million tonnes of break bulk.
For more information:
Port of Melbourne – https://www.portofmelbourne.com/
