Please be advised that Wharf carriers are experiencing VBS slot / full stack run allocation issues at Patrick East Swanson Dock (ESD) Terminal. 

Patrick Terminals won the stevedoring contract for the Greater Australia Connect (GAC) service with Maersk, linking Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Fremantle with Port Klang and Tanjung Pelepas in Malaysia and the Port of Singapore. Although the exchanges in Melbourne have been below standard since the service began, the volumes are on the rise, and Patrick anticipates throughput will ramp up to an additional 4,500 TEU per week through the Terminal.
 
The vessel schedules mean arrivals mid-week, with import availability typically from Friday to Sunday.  Prior to COVID-19, night shifts and weekend opening times were cut back at Patrick ESD due to the lack of volume. The new services mean that Patrick ESD rises to approx. 40% of the TEU volume through the Port of Melbourne. This reverses the trend and means that wharf carriers must adjust operating shifts to cope.
 
Patrick Terminal has responded by tightening up slot and stack run availabilities for wharf carriers during peak zones (by as much as 20%), particularly Friday dayshift, which will be super busy (typically the first day of import availability).