Peter Dummett has been appointed by Landbridge Australia as chief executive officer of Darwin Port after serving as its acting CEO for the past three months.

Darwin Port’s non-executive director Terry O’Connor said Mr Dummett will be a solid leader for the port, with his extensive knowledge and experience in maritime, shipping, trade and logistics.

“We remain committed to the Northern Territory, and I look forward to working with Peter, his team, the Northern Territory Government and industry stakeholders to develop and grow trade in the Territory,” Mr O’Connor said in a statement.

As the port’s CEO, Mr Dummett will be responsible for the overall operations and management of the port.

Mr Dummett joined Darwin Port Corporation in 2011 as general manager of port development and continued in the role through Landbridge’s acquisition of the port in 2015.

His maritime career started in the Royal Australian Navy, where he developed an interest in commercial shipping, before moving on to numerous roles in the shipping industry including regional development manager with Swire Shipping, a bio stated.

Mr Dummett was involved in the promotion of the Territory government’s AustralAsian trade initiative, which involved collaboration between the state government, Swire Shipping and the port of Darwin.

He also served as a member of the executive of the NT Chamber of Commerce International Business Council for four years, two of which were as its deputy chairperson.

Mr Dummett later joined Perkins Shipping with the role of coastal trades manager, responsible for contract management of agreements between Perkins and Rio Tinto, GEMCO and Woolworths.

He continued in his role as coastal trades manager following Toll’s acquisition of Perkins before joining the Darwin Port team in 2011.

Mr O’Connor praised the new CEO’s maritime experience and knowledge of the Northern Territory business sector.