Floods hit Queensland`s coal terminals

One of Queensland's largest coal terminals has stopped exports and the largest in
the state is at just 60 per cent capacity, ripping nearly two million tonnes of coal
a week from the global supply.
About 40 mines in Queensland have been affected by flooding and several have said
they cannot meet their contracts.
The Blackwater coal rail system is inundated, cutting off the major supply line to
the port of Gladstone in central Queensland, the fourth-largest coal export terminal
in the world.
"We are not getting any coal from the Blackwater line, so we are not receiving any
coal at the moment," a spokeswoman for the port told AAP on Thursday.
"We can't ship coal out."
The terminal normally exports 1.3 million tonnes of coal a week.
Staffing has dropped by 50 per cent and others are being encouraged to take leave
and help families that may have been affected by floods.
Other coal terminals have also been hit hard.
The Dalrymple Bay coal terminal, Queensland's largest, has been running at between
60 and 70 per cent capacity since January 1, spokesman Andrew Garratt told AAP.
"It's certainly an impact to global supply and an impact on miners," he said.
About 20 coal trains a day are reaching the terminal, down from the usual 28 after a
train derailed on Christmas Day and heavy rains seeped into mines and at times over
railways.
"Because of the wet weather out west, there will be a number of mines that'll have
varying inabilities to operate to their capacity," Mr Garratt said.
Three ships instead of four are being loaded for export a day and a line of 47 is
stretched offshore, each vessel waiting for its turn.
Only 500,000 tonnes of coal is in the stockyard at the terminal, south of Mackay,
and it is feared trainloads of coal and exports will decrease further by Saturday
week (February 15).
"Beyond that, we'll probably find that it will ease back a bit further," Mr Garratt
said.
The reduced exports mean 640,000 tonnes of coal a week aren't getting to the global
market, costing miners $336 million.
"It's one of the lowest levels of exports in recent times, behind last year's global
financial crisis," Mr Garratt said.
QR National said it was working to restore all coal and freight services to
customers, especially the Blackwater lines.
"QR National estimates that the flooded Dawson River will continue to cut the
Blackwater line near Duaringa well into next week," QR National spokesman Mark
Hairsine said in a statement.
"This flooding prevents accurate assessment of repair requirements and recovery
timeframes."
On a more positive note, the Newlands rail system through to the Abbot Point
Terminal near Bowen, the Goonyella rail system through to Dalrymple Bay and Hay
Point coal terminals are still running, QR National said.
Queensland earns about $100 million a day from exporting coal, with about $3.2
billion in royalties forecast to flow into the 2010-11 budget.
Next week's mid-year state fiscal review has been pushed back to allow Queensland
Treasurer Andrew Fraser time to recalculate how mining royalties will be affected.