Port of Townsville - Community Newsletter December 2023

Wednesday, December 20, 2023

COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER | DECEMBER 2023

Welcome to the final edition of our community newsletter for the year. As 2023 comes to close, we are pleased to share some recent milestones and achievements.

It was a delight for our team to catch up with Happy Vibes Cafe, one of the recipients of our 2023 Community Fund. Happy Vibes received $5,000 to purchase a brand new coffee cart, and turned that into employment and training opportunities for a growing number of people living with disability in our community. Our 2024 Community Fund will open to applications in February.

Last month saw us kick off Townsville's biggest cruise season yet, with 18 ships visiting this season and record forward bookings.

We are excited that dredging works on our $251 million Channel Upgrade project will wrap up early in the new year, allowing us to welcome larger cruise ships for the Summer 2024 season.

We're also proud to share some of our recent Planet initiatives, including our continued journey towards zero-waste and our quest to plant one million trees by 2050.

Next year marks 160 years since the Port of Townsville was founded, and we look forward to celebrating our history and exciting future developments with you throughout 2024.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support, and to wish you and your families a most safe and joyous Christmas and New Year.

Please enjoy reading our latest updates, and remember you can find our most up to date news on our Facebook page.

Ranee Crosby
Chief Executive Officer

COMMUNITY

Thank you to all who participated in our 2023 Community Survey.

Our annual Community Survey gives you the chance to let us know how you think we're doing and to share your ideas about fostering a vibrant Port community.

We've taken a deep dive into your feedback to identify opportunities for further improving our impact on the local community through action, information and collaboration.

While many of our larger projects can take years to plan and execute, we know these small actions can also contribute to a big impact in the meantime.

Stay tuned as we continue rolling out these new initiatives in the new year.

Record-breaking cruise season to tip $4.7 million into local business

Townsville is in the midst of its biggest ever cruise season with the Silver Muse's visit on 23 November leading the way for a record 18 vessels calling at the Port of Townsville over the coming months.

More than 21,000 passengers and crew will disembark in Townsville this summer, directly injecting over $4.7 million into businesses across the city and surrounding regions.

Port of Townsville CEO Ranee Crosby said the bumper season is the first sign of big things to come for Townsville's cruise industry.

"It is very encouraging to see our cruise bookings grow by 50 per cent from last season to this one, exceeding the strong growth rate the industry is seeing across the entire Australian market," Ms Crosby said.

"New data shows that the cruise industry generated $5.63 billion for Australia's economy in its first year of post-Covid revival. This is the industry's highest ever impact, representing a 22 per cent increase from 2018-19."

"Port of Townsville has worked closely with Townsville Enterprise, Townsville City Council and tourism partners to grow Townsville's slice of the pie since the opening of Quayside Terminal in 2014. Our current Channel Upgrade project will drive growth in Townsville's cruise visitation as we prepare to welcome Large Class cruise vessels next season, with record bookings for the next three consecutive years."

Community Fund supporting Happy Vibes

Earlier this year, 13 community projects contributing to diverse and inclusive communities across North Queensland received a boost through our annual $50,000 Community Fund.

Among these was Happy Vibes Café, which was awarded $5,000 to purchase a coffee cart, in order to train and employee people with disabilities.

We were heartened to catch up with the Happy Vibes team and hear how our funding has led to more than 400 hours dedicated to training and employment, as well as people's first jobs, newfound independence through earning a fair wage, and a workplace where individuals of diverse backgrounds learn from each other.

These initiatives are pathways to a future where everyone's strengths are valued, opening doors to a more diverse and vibrant North Queensland.

All aboard Port tours

The Port of Townsville recently hosted 22 students from Home Hill High School, who were taking part in AgForce's School to Industry Partnership Program.

The visit gave students a valuable glimpse into the inner workings of the Port and the many opportunities that lie within.

The students were provided information about the Port's rich history, key statistics, and various aspects that make it a pivotal hub for the region.

They were also told about the diverse array of job opportunities available at the Port.

Port tours can be tailored to suit your school, corporate or community group and we welcome the opportunity to give our community a glimpse behind the Port gates.

PLANET

A journey to zero-waste

We're another step along our zero waste journey, with a year's worth of nitrile gloves and hard hats sent off to be recycled.

The Zero Waste Box by TerraCycle has enabled us to divert 17.2kgs of nitrile gloves and 40kg of hard hats from landfill and into the circular economy, where they will be recycled into new products.

Our Climate & Environment team uses nitrile gloves for a range of important environmental sampling across the Port including trade waste, potable water, storm water, air quality, marine water, marine sediment, biosecurity and more.

Aussie Bird Count

To celebrate National Bird Week this year, our team hosted a planting event at Environmental Park with friends from Birdlife Townsville.

Together, participants planted more than 100 bird-friendly, native trees, shrubs, and grasses before embarking on a 20-minute bird count adventure. In that short time, the group spotted a grand total of 56 birds, representing 15 different species, including the beautiful Rainbow Bee-eater (pictured).

These counts were submitted to help researchers better understand the abundance and distribution of birds across the nation.

PROSPERITY

Channel Upgrade progress

Our Channel Upgrade project has reached a major milestone with more than 3 million cubic metres of dredged material removed from the shipping channels.

In total, almost 3.4 million cubic metres of dredged material is being brought back to land for beneficial reuse in our 62ha reclamation area to pave the way for future Port growth.

The channel is being widened from 92m to 180m at the inshore (Port) end, tapering to 120m at the offshore end.

Last month, the Port of Townsville enlisted local contractor CivilPlus Constructions to shorten the Eastern Breakwater (near Berth 1) to allow capital dredging to continue at the entry to the port's inner harbour.

Port of Townsville General Manager Project Delivery Dave McLoughlin said the appointment of CivilPlus demonstrated the Port's commitment to utilising local skills and expertise to power our growth.

"Port of Townsville is committed to buying local where we can, having spent $14.3 million with Townsville and Lucinda-based businesses and one-third of our entire expenditure with small and medium-size businesses last financial year," Mr McLoughlin said.

"CivilPlus is a Townsville-owned business, headed by two born and bred locals who have proven to deliver consistently high-quality results in marine projects for almost 20 years."

The Channel Upgrade project is on track for completion in late 2024, at which time larger ships up to 300m long will be able to safely access the Port, instead of bypassing Townsville.

Lucinda footbridge closure

The footbridge at Lucinda Port will be closed until 29 December 2023, to facilitate the replacement of the 6km jetty conveyer belt.

Access to the fishing jetty remains available via Dungeness Road. For more information call STL on 07 4798 2201.

Ross River dredging ongoing

The annual maintenance dredging at Ross River to remove sediment build up started in September and will continue throughout January.

All dredged material is being brought back to land and stored at the Townsville Marine Precinct for use in beach replenishment projects.

PEOPLE

A conversation starter

Our Assets, Planning & Environment (AP&E) team has been taking Funky Shirt Friday to new heights, dressing to impress in their show-stopping new TradeMutt shirts.

The high-visibility workwear was designed to facilitate mental health conversations among tradies, truckies, rural and blue collar workers. The AP&E team reports the shirts have in fact started some important conversations, while also brightening up Fridays.

Planting seeds of Port-tential

The latest batch of Port interns has hung up their hard-hats for the final time.

Sneha, Rachel, Esther, and Darcy spent three-months with the Environment team as part of their Master of Marine Biology program delivered by JCU TropWater in partnership with North Queensland Bulk Ports. Bianca also joined our People and Culture team to undertake a 100-hour tenure as the final component of her Human Resource Management degree.

The interns were thrown into the deep waters of real-world port experiences and say each day brought them new challenges and exciting discoveries.

"This internship was anything but ordinary," Esther said. "Instead of taking a backseat and following, we were encouraged to take the lead and put mental and physical capabilities to the test."

Join our Port Team

The Port of Townsville aims to attract, retain and develop employees to achieve our company vision and values. The Port is committed to employing the most suitable and appropriate candidate for every position regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, disability or any other attribute that does not prevent a person from fulfilling the legitimate requirements of a role.