North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation is busy inspecting its port assets after Tropical Cyclone Debbie hit the Queensland coast on Tuesday and confirmed the Port of Mackay Southern Breakwater suffered damage and remained closed.
BHP said it was continually monitoring the situation and its decision to safely resume operations would be assessed once the weather eased.
It said impacts to production would be reported in its next quarterly update.
Stanmore warned material damage to key mine assets or those assets of Isaac Plain’s critical suppliers, including rail, port, water and power could disrupt production schedules for weeks to come.
“The mine’s stock position will assist in mitigating potential impacts from delays,” it said.
“Isaac Plains Coal Mine was placed into a protective phase well prior to the rain event, with all mining operations ceased and key assets secured away from mining areas and potential water courses.
“The mine’s port provider has issued a force majeure notice as part of their preparations to protect key assets and infrastructure.”
Stanmore said TC Debbie delivered significant wind and rain conditions and that was expected to continue for a number of days, impacting large areas of the Bowen Basin.
“The safety of our people and those associated with our mine remain our highest priority and operations will only recommence when conditions permit,” it said.
NQBP CEO Steve Lewis said the ports of Mackay, Hay Point and Abbot Point were closed until further notice.
“The slow-moving system will no doubt have had some impact on our assets, but it has not been possible to safely carry out any inspections given the persistent extreme weather conditions in the region,” he said.
“However the port’s emergency response team is on standby to carry out landside inspections of infrastructure such as the Southern Breakwater at the Port of Mackay as soon as possible in the morning.
Lewis said NQBP was working closely with port partners and emergency services to secure the port and begin planning for the resumption of safe port operations.
“In addition to landside inspections, a survey of seabed assets such as navigational channels and berth pockets must be carried out to the satisfaction of the Harbour Master and our own expert marine pilots before ports can reopen for shipping.”
Lewis said safety continued to be the port corporation’s top priority in responding to the extreme weather event.
Turning to rail, an Aurizon spokeswoman confirmed to Australia’s Mining Monthly that a number of rail lines and terminals in the Central Queensland Network remain closed as a result of TC Debbie.
Aurizon’s Goonyella and Newlands systems remain closed and Aurizon’s rollingstock in those systems had been stowed in preparation for the cyclone.
The company will inspect these systems for any damage once it is safe to do so.
Abbot Point Coal Terminal near Bowen, and the Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal and Hay Point Coal Terminal, south of Mackay remain closed.
Aurizon’s Moura network has been closed due to localised flooding and the company is working closely with supply chain partners – mines, ports and rail operators – on any potential flood threat to the Blackwater system.
“We will continue to monitor network availability as the weather event progresses south-west,” the spokeswoman said.
Aurizon’s operations from Mackay to Pring remain suspended as a result of the cyclone.
“The safety of employees remains Aurizon’s highest priority during the assessment of its network and facilities following the cyclone,” the spokeswoman said.
In response to general freight services, Aurizon will continue to liaise with Queensland Rail as the infrastructure owner of the North Coast Line (Brisbane to Cairns); North West line (Townsville to Mt Isa); and Central West line (Emerald to Winton).
