Victoria International Container Terminal (VICT), International Container Terminal Services, Inc.'s (ICTSI) operation at the Port of Melbourne and Australia's first fully automated container terminal, is expanding its equipment fleet with the addition of six new automated stacking cranes (ASC).

ICTSI said the additional ACS were purchased as part of VICT's ongoing expansion project.

The new ASCs will operate on three new yard modules to increase the terminal's yard and reefer capacity by 30% and 43%, respectively.

The port operator said 15 additional truck grids would also be added to the landside to increase slot availability by 30%.

VICT is also acquiring two new larger ship-to-shore (STS) cranes, bringing the total STS fleet to seven.

The new cranes will have an outreach of 22 containers to enable the handling of up to 14,000-TEU capacity Neo-Panamax ships.

Moreover, the quay line will be extended by 71 meters to allow two 336-meter-long vessels to berth simultaneously.

ICTSI said VICT's expansion is scheduled to be completed and operational by the start of 2024 and will raise VICT's annual throughput capacity by 250,000 TEUs to 1.25 million TEUs.