Subcontractors in at least four Australian ports will soon handle United States military cargo containing gases and radioactive material, as part of an expanded contract with the US government, the ABC can reveal.<\/p>\n
The US Department of Defence is currently seeking tenders for port services in the Northern Territory, Queensland and Victoria, where it expects “indefinite quantities” of explosives, aircraft, classified and general cargo to be unloaded from ships and onto trucks.<\/p>\n
The tender solicitation issued by a US transportation battalion based in Yokohama, Japan, covers the handling of cargo shipped to and from Australia.<\/p>\n
An Australian Defence Force (ADF) spokesperson said shipments “were necessary to enable and support US exercises and activities in Australia”.<\/p>\n
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US Army trucks have previously been shipped to the Port of Darwin for joint military exercises. (Supplied: US Army)<\/p>\n
The ADF did not respond to questions about whether the cargo was also intended for Australian military use.<\/p>\n
Similar shipments into Australian ports are currently handled by German company EMS Shipping and Trading, as part of a $3.1 million contract awarded in 2023.<\/p>\n
But the US Military Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) says a new contract extending to 2030 will replace it.<\/p>\n
The contract is currently valued at $346,500, however that amount isn\u2019t finalised and is expected to increase.<\/p>\n
In a statement to bidders, USTRANSCOM said additional payments would be made weekly via “task orders” throughout the life of the contract. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Twenty tonne containers of “explosives cargo” have been added to shipping manifests on the new contract, and in an attached statement to prospective contractors, USTRANSCOM said those containers “include gases, or radioactive”.<\/p>\n
USTRANSCOM said contractors would be expected to comply with US laws around the handling of ammunition and explosives, including “rockets, missiles, warheads and devices”.<\/p>\n
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Defence Minister Richard Marles (centre) toured the Point Wilson wharf at its reopening in 2023. (Supplied: Australian Defence Force)<\/p>\n
The new contract will also expand arms shipments to the Point Wilson port, between Geelong and Melbourne, which in 2023 was flagged for “large-scale importation of guided weapons and explosive ordnance” according to the Australian Department of Defence.<\/p>\n
The expansion of US arms shipments to other “secondary” Australian ports was also flagged, which USTRANSCOM said had not yet been identified, and would be separate to the 2025-2031 contract.<\/p>\n
The USTRANSCOM tender says contractor employees could be screened for “indications of criminal, terrorism, or threat-related activity or alliances detrimental” to the US or Australian governments.<\/p>\n