The company driving the industrialisation of Queensland’s iconic Keppel Bay, the Mitchell Group, have been describing their new plans for the Fitzroy Terminal Project as “ environmentally friendly with a unique new loading system.”
The company trumpets its environmental credentials as a “ new milestone ” saying that under its new plan; “ the berthing system for the large coal ships will be completely changed, and very small volume of dredging will be required (about 200,000 cubic metres).”
“What the company fails to mention are the extraordinary risks involved in their plan, risks all borne by the environment and the tourism and fishing industries that rely on a healthy environment, “ said Ginny Gerlach, Coordinator of the Keppel and Fitzroy Delta Alliance . “ The company has failed to acknowledge out the most salient fact about their “new” operations,” continued Gerlach ,“ and the fact that they plan to trans-ship the coal from coal barges to coal ships in the exposed water of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park .”
As this method will involve three vessels being tethered together – the barge, the trans-shipper and the coal ship – Gerlach says the company needs to answer three questions.
“ How will the vessels be anchored, how will the huge coal dust spillage which will result from this method be managed – especially as it will go straight into the pristine waters of the GBR – and finally, what will the impact be of a 24/7 barge loading operation be on this habitat to endangered species like the Snubfin dolphin, ” asked Gerlach.
The Keppel and Fitzroy Delta Alliance has requested the company provide details of where these trans-shipment methods had been used elsewhere in the world in similar weather conditions and what were the environmental standards applied. To date the Mitchell Group have not provided that information. Ben King, director of the Fitzroy Terminal Project has stated that coal would be unable to be loaded safely in winds of more than 15 knots. Strong winds above 15 knots occurred more than 48% of the year in the proposed loading zone and with each vessel loading taking up to four days to load this would have significant implications.
“ Dredging these waters will be destructive, ” said Gerlach. “ But the trans-shipment model will spread that destruction even further through our beautiful currently World Heritage Listed Reef. We simply can’t allow that to happen. The Federal government must reject the proposals for ports in the Fitzroy Delta and adhere to the UNESCO recommendations in order to protect the World Heritage Listing of our Reef”, concluded Gerlach.
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Press Release, October 17, 2012