OCEANIA

No end in sight to congestion blight

19 years ago

Congestion problems continue to dog Australia’ s coal ports. Recently Queensland Rail rejected blame for queues at Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal, saying the fault lies more with other supply chain issues, such as ships arriving in quick succession.

Similarly, the Federal Government is not accepting blame for Hunter bottlenecks, saying the coal ports are in private hands and it is their responsibility. However, the Government would be prepared to work with the state government to find a way to ease congestion.

Meanwhile, a shortage of stockpiled coal at Gladstone will leave RG Tanna Coal Terminal with surplus capacity this year, the Central Queensland Ports Authority reports. Gladstone is on target to deliver just over 60m tonnes this year.