The Wolfson Centre for Bulk Solids Handling Technology

NQBP opens Mackay Port for new bulk trade

(Posted on 22/01/19)

NQBP Trade Development Manager Darren Fursman said Mackay is one of the major servicing centres for the Central Queensland mining and agricultural industries.

“As a business, we identified the potential for an area within the port to cater for a common user facility that can accommodate a variety of bulk trades,” Mr Fursman said.

“The new common-user handling area provides regional businesses that need to import or exports bulk materials the opportunity to get their product to market earlier, grow trade and, potentially, lead to the development of their own storage and handling facilities.”

Ideal for one-off, short-term or emerging bulk material trades, the area has a large storage capacity, depending on the type of material. For example, the area has a maximum combined storage capacity for grain of around 48,000 tonnes.

The primary commodities currently traded at the Port of Mackay include fuel, sugar (raw and refined), grain, magnetite, fertiliser, scrap metal as well as the port’s targeted growth market, breakbulk cargo.

The new storage area would be suitable for trades such as minerals, timber, construction materials, scrap metal, sugar and grains and other bulk commodities.

The common user bulk material handling area is located behind the grain terminal in the northern part of the port near Wharf 5.

Made up of two large uncovered bitumen surface pads - the larger pad area is approximately 7,600m2 (181m long x 42m wide) and the smaller pad area is approximately 4,600.