Relief for Aussie ports as cyclone passes

Australian ports breathed a sigh of relief as they managed to escape with little damage from the passing of Cyclone Yasi.


Hay Point and Mackay both confirmed they were open quite soon after the storm’s passing, and although Abbot Point appears to still be shut due to a power loss, this looks like being a short term problem.


Originally, many held their breath as wind warnings of various degrees of strength were issued for a stretch of coast some 1,600 kilometres long, running from Cape Melville to Gladstone. Tropical cyclone Yasi was downgraded from a category five to a category three system after crossing the Queensland coast near Cairns at around midnight on Wednesday.


However, Port of Gladstone Corporation CEO Leo Zussino said that the port was outside the immediate cyclone warning area and so hadn’t “expected much impact” from Cyclone Yasi. He added the port was still receiving coal and loading coal for export.


Many parts of Queensland, including the coal ports, are still suffering from months of flooding, though the worst floods hit areas hundreds of kilometres further south of the cyclone’s path. However, Mr Zussino also said Gladstone was quickly moving towards full operating capacity following the devastating floods. “Our stockpiles are just over one million tonnes,” Mr Zussino said.


Meanwhile Port Alma has been opened to commercial shipping on a restricted basis, and will resume normal operations after dredging. The Port of Bundaberg remains closed to commercial shipping due to the flooding of the Burnett River in both December 2010 and January this year.
(Source:http://www.portstrategy.com)