Port of Townsville Closed. Condition RED now in effect.

Port of Townsville has moved to Condition RED and is preparing for official closure at 10am today in preparation for Tropical Cyclone Kirrily, expected to make landfall this evening.

The Port is working to:

• Finalise evacuation of Port Staff and Port Users and secure the Port for closure at 1000.
• Monitor TC Kirrily and determine a time for port re-entry when conditions have cleared.
• Maintain close contact with the Bureau of Meteorology, Maritime Safety Queensland and Port Users in order to reopen the Port to landside operations and commercial shipping when it is safe to do so.

Port of Townsville General Manager Customer, Operations and Safety, Drew Penny said, under current BOM forecasts, Port operational staff are expecting to return to the Port on Friday mid-morning.

“Re-entry to the port will, of course, be determined by how the weather system unfolds overnight and human safety will be the primary consideration in getting the Port back up and running,” said Mr Penny.

“Once we have determined it is safe to do so, we expect a staged reopening of landside operations, followed by commercial shipping, under the direction of Maritime Safety Queensland.

“Throughout this week, our cyclone preparations have flowed very smoothly. The Port team, our service providers and customers have done an excellent job to ensure we are well-placed to endure the heavy rains and strong winds expected.”