Following a recent review of the port by industry players and led by none other than former NSW premier Nick Greiner, Ferguson has reportedly asked Tripodi to resolve the bottleneck issue which has up to a dozen coal export vessels forced to wait off port.

Reported by ABC News Ferguson has written to Tripodi after the Greiner-led review.

A spokesman for the federal minister said the Rudd government was coming under pressure from the Japanese government over the matter.

Tripodi, on the other hand, is reportedly concerned the solutions provided by the review may lock out new players to the state’s coal industry.

However, Tripodi is also expected to soon announce a plan to tackle the shipping queue problem in Newcastle.

NSW Opposition ports spokesman Duncan Gray was supportive of Ferguson’s intervention, saying he displayed some common sense.

“It's a pity we can't see the same from Joe Tripodi," he said.