Breakbulk volumes shrink further at Melbourne port

Breakbulk cargo at the Port of Melbourne continued to decline, reaching just 1% of total trade in calendar year 2025, according to the port’s first Trade in Review report. Volumes fell to about 1.0 million revenue tonnes in 2025, down from roughly 1.8 million tonnes in 2022, extending a multi-year downward trend. The report attributes the contraction to a long-running shift away from general cargo toward alternative freight formats, leaving breakbulk mainly for loads that cannot be efficiently unitised. Even with the smaller base, the mix remains tied to industrial and project-linked activity, including agricultural and industrial machinery, steel, timber and iron. Limited RoRo-related movements were noted. While breakbulk is shrinking, vehicle imports through the port’s RoRo terminal “surged” during the 2020 to 2023 lockdown period and have since remained relatively stable at higher volumes. The port remains Victoria’s only dedicated RoRo and Pure Car Carrier terminal, though new vehicle arrivals softened during 2025.