Coal port expansion means 1300 ships a year inside reef

THE Queensland government will super-size the Abbot Point coal terminal in the state's north to increase its capacity eightfold and create one of the world's largest coal ports, on the edge of the Great Barrier Reef.   

Premier Anna Bligh said the capacity of the port, outside Bowen, 1200km north of Brisbane, would expand from 50 million tonnes of coal a year to more than 400 million tonnes to keep pace with mining output.

This means the number of ships accessing the port, after threading their way through the reef, will grow from about 200 last financial year to more than 1300 by 2017.

The $9 billion redevelopment will allow 11 bulk carriers to be filled with coal at the same time.

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The Australian