Tonnage decrease at port

NEW shipping data has revealed a dramatic drop in cargo throughput at the Port of Cairns over the past five years.

The North-East Shipping Management Plan has exposed a 36 per cent decrease in the tonnage of general and tourism cargo in Cairns in the four years to 2017.

However, the number of carriers, cargo vessels and passenger ships has increased by 2.6 per cent.

Ship movements at the Cairns port registered an 8 per cent increase in the four years to 2017, outperforming Mackay and Townsville.

Cairns Port Development president Ron Crew said the numbers were bittersweet.

“That’s quite remarkable (and) a bit alarming. Maybe there is not as much sugar coming out or fuel coming in,” he said.

Mr Crew said the condition of Cairns wharves had potentially impacted the drop in tonnage and Cairns had lost cargo to Townsville after being overlooked for priority port status in 2015.

The data shows a reduction in the number of smaller ships less than 200m long and an increase in ships longer than 200m in the Great Barrier Reef region.

Inner route ship movements between Cairns and Cape York increased by 130 voyages.

Mr Crew said smaller ships visiting more often but loading less cargo accounted for gains and losses.

“We are going to be restricted, in modern terms, we are only going to be able to cater to large ships and not the real big ones, because the channel coming in is not very wide,” Mr Crew said.

Ports North have been contacted for comment.