The environmental impacts of deepening a shipping channel at the Hay Point terminal so vessels can carry bigger loads are being examined as part of a plan to expand capacity.
The Federal Government has blamed its state counterpart for a bottleneck at the privately run Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal, which is within the port area, according to the ABC.
Transport Minister Paul Lucas said the expansion would be an incremental increase, adding 1.8 million tonnes to the port's annual capacity.
"It's just one of the other things we're continuing to do to improve capacity through our port network in Queensland," he said. "It's certainly not the be-all and end-all of improving capacity in the port, but it's an important step."
