TORRENTIAL rain and strong winds resulted in disruption to pilotage operations at Brisbane over the weekend.
As has been widely reported, heavy rain occurred across much of south-east Queensland, with beach closures and minor flooding.
There were reports of as much as 700mm falling in the Gold Coast hinterland.
“The wet and windy weather has caused some disruption to port operations. Specifically, there has been a number of temporary suspensions of pilotage operations,” a Port of Brisbane spokesperson said.
“Landside operations have been largely unaffected, however we urge all customers and tenants to follow the strict container stacking protocols and remain cautious when driving on port roads.”
Maritime Safety Queensland general manager Angus Mitchell said the harbour master decided around midday Sunday to pause pilotage and this was extended at around 6am local time on Monday.
“We were seeing eight-plus metre swells on the wave rider bouy off Point Cartwright (near Mooloolaba),” Mr Mitchell said.
MSQ later updated their advice noting “a limited window” to get pilots on a few inbound vessels late on Monday afternoon.
“No operations are planned for [Monday night] and [we will] recommence at dawn [Tuesday] pending a final assessment being favourable,” MSQ stated.
The bad weather has also resulted in the closure of the depots of some local logistics companies.
Stevedores downplayed any impact. A Patrick spokesperson said they had experienced “no specific issues” and were awaiting a decision by the harbour master, while a spokesperson for Hutchison said that “nothing has been affected with HPA”.
The Bureau of Meteorology reported very heavy rain in Brisbane for the remainder of Monday before easing to lighter falls on Tuesday.
