PILOT TRANSFERS for vessels arriving and departing the Port of Brisbane will be suspended again tomorrow morning, two hours either side of low water, and the restrictions are likely to be repeated for several days.
In today’s update Steve Hardaker, Maritime Safety Queensland’s manager of vessel traffic services in Brisbane, warned that due to effects of Tropical Cyclone Alfred, the port will see a significant swell event over the forthcoming days, impacting movements in Brisbane from today and into next week.
Pilot transfers at Mooloolaba will be suspended between 0030 and 0430 (2 hours either side of low water) tomorrow morning, due to unsafe conditions over low water at the Mooloolah River Bar.
DCN understands cruise liner Quantum of the Seas was able to berth before today’s restrictions applied, but the arrival of P&O’s Pacific Encounter has been delayed by six hours by the swell conditions in the Coral Sea en route from Rabaul.
MSQ advises that Prior to all arrivals, if vessels are expected to have an arrival and/or departure draft exceeding 11.0m all NCOS (nonlinear channel optimisation simulator) data is to be provided prior to entry to ensure vessels have a departure window.
Planning for high risk vessels, larger container vessels over 260 metres, cruise ships and high-windage ro-ro vessels will be required to maintain a draft for sailing if the weather deteriorates over the next week. It is anticipated that vessels with a draft over 11.5m draft will experience issues obtaining NCOS windows.
Swell height is forecast to increase significantly from Saturday. NCOS Windows are starting to close and indications are that most NCOS windows will be lost from Saturday until at least early next week.
MSQ is also closely monitoring the path of TC Alfred. Further advice will be issued should the high winds associated with the system threaten Brisbane. “In the meantime, we will work to ensure the port is prepared for all eventualities,” MSQ said.
In the Bureau of Meteorology’s 10 am AEST bulletin today, Severe Tropical Cyclone Alfred (Category 3) with central pressure 958 hPa was located over the Coral Sea near latitude 19.0 south longitude 155.7 east, which is about 720 km east northeast of Mackay and 730 km northeast of Rockhampton.
Alfred is forecast to continue moving to the south through the Coral Sea today. On Saturday it may take a turn to the south southwest towards the Queensland coast before tracking southeast away from the coast during Sunday.
“There is increasing confidence that Alfred will stay offshore. However, Alfred is likely to be slow moving next week with some ongoing uncertainty as to how close to the southern Queensland coast it may come,” BOM said.
Regardless of the track Alfred takes, severe coastal hazards are likely for southern Queensland and northeast New South Wales. A large and powerful to potentially damaging easterly swell as well as abnormally high tides are forecast to develop about exposed central Queensland beaches today, extending to southern Queensland from Saturday, and possibly to northern NSW from Sunday or Monday.
The BOM recommends referral to marine warnings and forecasts for further information on these hazards.
