TOM’S CRUISE PLAN DOCKS
Full details of mayor’s offshore terminal HOME PORT WITH REFUELLING 150 SHIPS A YEAR ARRIVING 24-7 1.2KM JETTY, 800M BREAKWALL
MAYOR Tom Tate has upgraded his dream of a Gold Coast cruise ship terminal to a base port capable of refuelling and resupplying 150 vessels a year. New details of the proposed offshore terminal are contained in council documents which have been lodged with the federal environment department.
COUNCIL consultants say a plan to build a 1.2km jetty and 800m offshore rockwall and wharf will have no significant impact on the surf, animals or plants on or off The Spit.
In a referral submission open for public comment with the Department of Environment and Energy, consultants through a “desktop search” found the area was a “known or possible” habitat for five animal species that are critically endangered; four endangered species; 10 vulnerable and 57 considered threatened.
During a four-hour site inspection in December, an ecologist for council-appointed consultant AECOM did not see any of the fauna listed – including leatherback turtles, grey nurse sharks and a range of migratory birds.
The council submits there would be no impact on the animals.
Plans to fuel 150 ships a year from barges floated from Brisbane through Moreton Bay, and the increase in marine traffic during construction and operation would also have “no significant impacts”, the consultants said.
“It is expected that the operations of the barge will be controlled by an existing fuel provider (BP, Caltex) from Brisbane,” they wrote.
“The detailed planning for a terminal would need to include controls to prevent marine fuel and oil spills and suitable emergency responses in the event of a spill.
“This may require dedicated facilities and materials at the terminal.” The department suggested the council consider modelling of a fuel or oil spill to verify potential impacts.
Departmental staff also suggested consultants consider scheduling works outside of whale migration, but were told it was “undesirable” to cease all works during migration.
The consultants instead suggested “spotters” be employed to watch for approaching mammals, and said that more detailed assessment of fuel spill risks would be undertaken.
“Further detailed assessment of a worst-case loss of containment event and potential plume trajectory in local conditions (will form) part of a future environmental impact assessment,” the submission says.
The report said the proposal did not intersect declared conservation areas and would have no significant impact on environmentally significant areas. “However there may be indirect impacts due to marine vessel traffic associated with equipment and materials transport during the construction phase and fuel transport during the operations phase.”