The Port of Dampier was developed in 1963 when Hamersley Iron Pty Ltd (Rio Tinto Iron Ore) entered into an agreement with the State Government to develop an iron ore mine at Mt Tom Price (320km inland) and a port in the Dampier Archipelago which would allow the company to export iron ore to world markets.

By 1966, the mine and town site had been constructed at Mt Tom Price along with the port and town site in Dampier. Within the Port, Hamersley Iron initially constructed a general cargo wharf, across which construction materials and domestic supplies were landed. This facility – later renamed the Service Wharf – is still operational with regular imports of petroleum products.

The Parker Point iron ore facility was also completed in 1966 and was originally designed to accept vessels up to 60,000 DWT. The first shipment took place on 16 August 1966 with the MV Tachikawa Maru sailing to Japan with a cargo of 20,000 tons of lump ore.

During 1972, Dampier Salt (a subsidiary of Rio Tinto Iron Ore) commenced operations. Salt is produced by solar evaporation and currently some 3.8 million tonnes is exported annually, with the bulk of this to the petrochemical industry.

By the late 1970’s Woodside Offshore Petroleum and their joint venturers, realising the strategic and resources potential of the Pilbara coast, decided on Dampier as the site of their onshore LNP production plant and export wharf.

The North Rankin ‘A’ production platform was constructed some 130kms NNW of Dampier and was connected by pipeline to their onshore site at Withnell Bay. The project was the largest engineering works ever undertaken in Australia at the time, and at peek construction some 4,500 workers were employed in the onshore production plant. The total project cost was estimated at some $12,000,000,000.

For the initial 20 year contract period a fleet of eight dedicated 130,000m³ LNG carriers transported 6,000,000 tonnes per annum to Japan. Additionally some 3,500,000 tonnes of condensate is exported to various destinations each year. In July 1989 the first of the fleet, Northwest Sanderling, arrived in Dampier on her maiden voyage. Her load out was completed without incident and on time.

A second jetty was constructed towards the end of 1995. This facility was designed to handle LPG vessels as well as condensate tankers. Approx 1,500,000 million tonnes of LPG is exported annually.

In late 1989 Woodside Offshore Petroleum under their State Agreement obligations handed over the recently constructed Port Authority administration building as well as the Materials Offloading Facility (now the Dampier Cargo Wharf) and on 1 March 1989 the Dampier Port Authority was established.

In December 2005 the Dampier Port Authority officially opened their newly constructed Dampier Bulk Liquids Berth, with Burrrup Fertilisers Pty Ltd exporting their first consignment of anhydrous ammonia in June 2006.

Offshore exploration is continuing at an ever increasing rate along the North West coast, with large oil and gas fields being developed, and Dampier is ideally placed to service existing and future developments.