The five-year deal will see QMASTOR supply DBCT with its coal management system, providing coal tracking and inventory management across the Goonyella supply chain.

The terminal will put to use QMASTOR’s Pit to Port.net and SMS3D.net systems to improve the management of its supply chain.

DBCT exports coal from Bowen Basin miners and has a capacity of 59 million tonnes per annum with expansion plans set to increase the port’s capacity to 85Mtpa.

The terminal services 20 customers and handles about 90 different coal products.

The new system includes train management, stockyard management, stockpile modelling, ship loading and vessel management, shipping documentation and demurrage management.

Integration points for the system are the 20 supplying mines, rail service providers (Queensland Rail) and plant SCADA systems.

The Hay Point Coal Terminal will also be using QMASTOR’s services.

The DBCT contract boosts the information service provider to managing over half a billion tonnes of bulk commodity movements a year.

QMASTOR managing director Trent Bagnall said the contract supported the company’s expansion into the Queensland coal industry.

“We expect to be able to leverage this project to further increase our customer base at similar ports and bulk terminals throughout Australia and also internationally,” he said.

The contract will cover software licensing, services, support and maintenance with a majority of revenue to be received in the 2008-09 and 2009-10 financial years.

News reports this morning said Ports Corporation Queensland was investigating the need for another coal terminal to be built in central Queensland.

ABC reported that the corporation owned land at Dudgen Point, south of Mackay, close to Dalrymple Bay and Hay Point, and its chief executive Brad Fish was in discussions with a number of potential coal customers over further capacity.