Shipping traffic carries a range of products like coal, sugar, iron ore, timber, oil and general cargo.  Bulk carriers comprise the greatest proportion of shipping, generated by trade through the bulk ore ports of Hay Point, Abbott Point and Gladstone. Less than 10per cent of ships are oil tankers usually involved in the coastal trade of refined petroleum products. Most bulk oil tankers conduct a northerly transit outside of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (the so-called “Outer Route”).  Total ship traffic in the Great Barrier Reef has increased over the period 2001 to 2003. The increase in shipping traffic coincides with an expanding world merchant fleet.

Demand for shipping services in Queensland is expected to increase with expanding mining and minerals processing. For example, for Townsville, Rockhampton and Gladstone such developments are projected to increase by about 36per cent between 2001 and 2020. It is anticipated that more secondary processing will occur and a wider variety of products may be shipped. Vessel based tourism is also expected to significantly increase by 70per cent over the same period. 

There are eleven ports operating within the Great Barrier Reef region, accounting for some $17 billion of Australia’s export trade. As well, the ports service a population of around 980,500 in northern regional Queensland, or nearly 27per cent of Queensland’s population, providing them with food, fuels and consumer goods. The four major ports of Cairns, Townsville, Mackay and Gladstone are estimated to contribute some $3 billion and 23,000 jobs directly into the Queensland and regional economies.

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Citation and/or URL

Charts compiled using data from the Australian Bureau of statistics - International cargo statistics (unpublished), BTRE estimates 

Spatial Coverage

GBR-wide

Temporal Coverage

 2005/06

Update Frequency

Annual

Other Information

None