Plan to protect Mackay Marina is flawed: Ports company

MARINA manager says it has been pushing for a piece of infrastructure for 15 years that would have prevented any damage

FUTURE PROOFING: Mackay Marina saw damage to fingers and some boats during Tropical Cyclone Debbie. Picture: Rowan Hunnam

UPDATE: North Queensland Bulk Ports will work with Mackay Marina owners to reduce its susceptibility to cyclone damage - but it will not back a plan put forward by the marina.

The Mackay Marina owners, Port Binnli Group, have stated that damage dealt to the marina by Tropical Cyclone Debbie would have been reduced if a 'nib wall' had been constructed.

A 'nib wall' would be a small extension of the existing breakwater that would prevent northerly swell entering the marina, as it did during the cyclone.

However, a North Queensland Bulk Ports spokesperson said the company's own modelling had recently found
the structure would unacceptably affect wave movement within the port area, without adequately mitigating the problem.

NQBP had planned on sharing this information with Port Binnli Group but the meeting was postponed as Cyclone Debbie hit.

The ports corporation said it would continue to work with Port Binnli on the issue, but pointed out any "mutually agreeable option" would have to be privately funded.

"At the end of the day, NQBP operates a commercial port and must consider the impact of any proposed solution on the safe and efficient operation of the port," she said.

The spokesperson also said all parties had known the marina was not a cyclone safe haven, as the "northerly fetch" effect, which was experienced during the severe cyclone conditions last week, has been known since the development of the Mackay Marina Village in the late 1990s.

EARLIER: FORKING out for a vital piece of infrastructure would have prevented the damage Cyclone Debbie caused to Mackay Marina, general manager Ben Anderson believes.

The Port Binnli Group's Mackay Marina had a number of 'fingers' damaged during last week's storm and assessors are working to tally the cost of the repair job.

However, Mr Anderson said if North Queensland Bulk Ports had built a nib wall, which he claims marina owners have been urging it to build for the past 15 years, there would have been no cyclone damage at all.

A nib wall would be a small extension to the current breakwater that would prevent northerly swell entering the marina, as it had during the cyclone.

Boaties would then travel through an S-bend when entering and leaving the marina.

"We've been pushing this agenda for the last 15 years. And North Queensland Bulk Ports continually put it on the backburner," Mr Anderson said.

"This is the outcome, because nothing has been done; they've done nothing about it and now we've got all this damage."

Frustrated, Mr Anderson has appealed to boat and berth owners to take up the fight.

"We ask for your assistance to convince our politicians, both State and Federal that Mackay Marina precinct is a vital piece of tourism infrastructure for the region," he said in an emailed update, urging them to contact NQBP chief executive officer Steve Lewis directly.

Mr Anderson said that, all things considered, the marina had "got out of it very lightly", given there were more than 300 boats in it and none had been lost and no one was injured.

Mr Anderson doesn't believe the cyclone damage will affect the sale of the marina. If anything, he thought it would reinforce the fact it was a "very steady facility".

The marina was put up for sale on October 10 last year, and has been tipped to fetch as much as $40m.

"I think it shows that we've got a fantastic facility here that can withstand a significant weather event with minimal damage compared to others in the area," Mr Anderson said.

FUTURE PROOFING: Mackay Marina saw damage to fingers and some boats during Tropical Cyclone Debbie. Picture: ROWAN HUNNAM

He also said the marina staff and boat owners had worked well together to ensure the marina was prepared.

"We were shifting boats around in the breeze, getting them out of harm's way. That's why no vessels have sunk here in the marina, due to staff here and boat owners working together in the marina," he said.

He said alternative berths would be secured for those impacted by the damaged fingers.

A spokesperson for North Queensland Bulk Ports did not comment about the proposed nib wall.

However, she said the company's priority has been the safety of people, as well as restoring power to the port to ensure the community had access to essential supplies like fuel.

A full assessment of damage at the Port of Mackay is yet to be completed.

Originally published as Plan to protect Mackay Marina is flawed: Ports company