On 1 September 2025, the Victoria International Container Terminal (VICT) had to temporarily close its gates due to a pro-Palestine protest currently that took place at Webb Dock – Australia’s first fully automated terminal.
According to Australian news outlet news.com.au, more than 20 activists sat along a pedestrian crossing on Webb Dock Drive at the Port of Melbourne, fixing barrels, a sound system and a stationary car to the crossing.
In an Instagram post today [2 September 2025], the Whistleblowers, Activists and Communities Alliance (WACA) called for Australia to stop trade with Israel, and claimed that 18 protesters were arrested by police during the demonstration.
News outlets have corroborated this statement, with news.com.au adding that all those arrested were released on bail and are scheduled to appear in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on 15 December 2025.
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Later in the day, Freight & Trade Alliance (FTA) and the Australian Peak Shippers Association (APSA) informed its members that the Victoria International Container Terminal (VICT) had reopened.
Truck traffic in and out of the VICT was temporarily halted until 15:30 local time, reports from logistics company Kuehne+Nagel confirmed, adding that container handling operations also experienced delays due to restricted access.
The Container Transport Alliance Australia (CTAA) told ATN that the result of “at least a four-hour shutdown” of the VICT equates to over 300 trucks unserviced during that time, and close to 1,000 containers not moved.
It added that the disruption caused by the cancellations are expected to have a “major impact” on container access and will affect the scheduled dates and times of planned deliveries over the coming week.
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