“First we had Port Waratah Coal Services banning certain vessels for not being able to load coal fast enough and now we have the Newcastle Port Corporation saying it can reduce the number of vessels at anchor off the port by asking vessels to travel slower,” Shipping Australia chief executive Llew Russell said.
“All so-called solutions to an ongoing crisis being developed without prior consultation with the industry.
“Shipping Australia members are keen to work with other stakeholders to develop long-term solutions to these types of constraints but they must be commercially sensible.”
Russell added that he only became aware of the proposal after media reports and a copy of the NPC’s consultation paper on the proposal which had to be sent by a member of the association.
From the consultation paper Russell said he was encouraged the NPC was seeking to understand the commercial and contractual issues that related to vessels anchoring off the port but added it would have been more beneficial to explore other options than the vessel arrival system.
“A berth booking arrangement may have been able to have been devised to improve efficiency,” he said.
“Whatever the solution, we do not see trying to put a vessel queue over-the-horizon as offering a sustainable solution to this problem.”
NPC has previously said it will engage in consultation with industry ahead of next year’s launch of the trial system.
Finance, Infrastructure, Regulatory Reform, Ports and Waterways Minister Joe Tripodi announced the new vessel arrival system in a statement on Tuesday.
PWCS general manager Graham Davidson issued a response later in the day saying he does not see the trial as the sole solution to terminal access.
The new system is designed as an alternative to the Turn of Arrival system (first in, first served) in place at the port, with PWCS using the satellite tracking data of incoming ships to provide a recommended arrival time.
It is hoped such a system could avoid a repeat of the Pasha Bulker incident last year, when the ship was stranded at Nobbys Beach.
The Japanese owners of the vessel had to fork out $A5 million to free the ship, which was grounded for 25 days – enough time to become a local tourist attraction.
