The Port of Townsville has been recognised as a leading Australian port at the Australian Shipping and Maritime Industry Awards, held in Melbourne on 14 November 2019.
The Port of Townsville was highly commended in the Port of the Year category. The judges said they were impressed by Townsville’s performance in several key areas, notably the start of the $1.6 billion Port Expansion project, including a container terminal and car carrier wharf extension, which is set to bring about major benefits to the North Queensland economy.
“The port showed resilience in the face of adversity earlier in the year when it maintained operations despite severe nearby flooding, thus contributing to the recovery effort,’’ the judges said.
The judges noted support for the cruise sector and also singled out the port’s “impressive environmental credentials’’, including the seagrass monitoring program in conjunction with JCU and the partnership of the National Environmental Science Program with the Australian Institute of Marine Science and JCU.
Port of Townsville CEO, Ranee Crosby, said she was extremely proud of the recognition for the hard work and dedication shown by the 150-strong workforce.
“We are in the midst of great change. We are expanding operations and becoming more efficient and we are doing all this amid the backdrop of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area,’’ Ms Crosby said.
“We are mindful of our unique position and we are committed to sustainable development and operations.
“Recognition from our peers endorses the work we are doing as we continue to drive economic development for North Queensland.’’
The port is committed to sustainable development and operations, with a comprehensive range of monitoring programs and sustainability initiatives, many of which began in the 1990s, to ensure that the health of the bay and our surrounds is protected and improved.
The Port of Townsville is Northern Australia’s largest general cargo and container port and is critical to defence and cruise tourism.
