[Doug H]

The attached link leads to an article from the OZ weekend newspaper about a proposal to build a A$530 million coal loading facility "to end the days when 50 or more bulk carriers rode their anchors outside Newcastle's harbour, waiting for their turns to load".

What it doesn't say is under which flag all those colliers will be sailing.

See http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/printpage/0,5942,16398049,00.html for further information.

 

[Doug Rogers]

I know that Newcastle has suffered from congestion for many years but I find reports of 50 vessels hanging off the port a bit much. I have known of over 30 at times but certainly not the figure quoted.
Newcastle has come a long way in a relatively short time, it will be great for the region and Oz if the planned expansion gets under way and is completed on time.

And whats the latest of the feasibility study in Port Phillip Bay to dredge the shipping lanes deeper, any preliminary reports been issued yet??.

 

[cboots]

Well, you can safely bet that few if any will be Australian flag. My prediction for the most likely is Vanuatu flag, master Ukranian, chief engineer Nigerian, mates and assistant engineers and mix of Egyptian, Rumanian and Georgian, the crowd from Somalia.
This interesting article also fails to mention that all that coal going off to a part of the world with virtually no environmental protection legislation represents a hell of a lot of global warming.
CBoots

 

[trotterdotpom]

It's not unusual for the press and TV to describe the congestion as "50 tankers waiting to load coal" - I often wonder what is wrong with their descriptions of things that I don't know anything about!

John T.