Coronavirus: Queensland winds back cargo quarantine

Queensland authorities wind back offshore quarantine on all cargo vessels amid concerns over supply of imported goods.

Cargo ships anchored off Port of Gladstone on Friday afternoon. Picture: Supplied

Queensland authorities have wound-back a two week offshore quarantine requirement on all cargo vessels just days after it was imposed in the wake of an emerging boycott by international ships bringing supplies to the state.

Maritime Safety Queensland conceded an immediate and “disturbing trend of future scheduled vessel cancellations” to the Port of Brisbane had raised concerns over the short-term supply of imported essential goods.

The restrictions – the toughest statewide measures anywhere in Australia – were strenuously backed by state transport minister Mark Bailey despite warnings from Australia’s peak shipping body that the forced delays could make international shipping to Queensland unviable.

On Wednesday, MSQ announced it was extending an existing requirement preventing Chinese and South Korean ships from berthing unless they had been at sea for at least 14 days to all other carriers.

The new measures were particularly onerous for vessels arriving from the global freight hubs of Singapore and Port Klang in Malaysia — which take between six and eight days to make the journey to Australia.

MSQ later exempted vessels coming from New Zealand and the South Pacific, and the on Friday offered exemptions to some vessels coming from Singapore.

MSQ general manager Angus Mitchell met with the industry on Friday as ships began to cancel scheduled drop-offs to the Port of Brisbane.

In an alert to industry, Mr Mitchell said a “two port policy” would be adopted from Monday with the new 14-day offshore quarantine measures lifted in Brisbane for all ships except those arriving from China and South Korea.

The restrictions would still apply in the smaller ports in the other parts of the state.

Mr Mitchell said despite giving the exemptions to “country of origin” ships in the days after the new measures, there had still been a backlash from shipping lines.

“MSQ has observed a disturbing trend of future scheduled vessel cancellations into the Port of Brisbane, cancellations that potentially bring a range of unintended consequences to the Queensland economy and supply of goods into our communities,’’ he said.

“This can be addressed immediately before the impact is felt.”

Mr Mitchell also blamed the refusal of other states to follow the lead of Queensland, with the tougher quarantine measures, saying shipping lines were opting to bypass Brisbane and go directly to ports in NSW and Victoria.

He echoed the earlier warnings of Shipping Australia – which represents shipping lines carrying 70 per cent of Australia’s container and car trade – that it could put pressure on Australia’s road networks as the goods would have to be brought by road to Queensland from the other states.

“Whilst I had hoped that other Australian states would align their protective measures with Queensland noting the gravity of the risk, this has not been the case,’’ he said.

“The consequence has been that Queensland, and the Port of Brisbane in particular, faces a disproportionate hit to import trade compared to neighbour states.

“This in-turn may place an additional strain on the freight network to relocate goods north to Queensland in the event vessels decide to unload Brisbane cargo in Sydney or Melbourne.’’

After the measures were first introduced Shipping Australia, port operators and state opposition leader Deb Frecklington all warned of possible ramifications in taking a tougher quarantine stance than the rest of the country.

On Thursday, Shipping Australia’s deputy chief executive Melwyn Noronha said shipping companies were threatening to bypass Queensland ports.

“Queensland will drastically be affected by this in causing delays to the supply chain for imported goods that fulfil the day-to-day needs, such as some food from Southeast Asia,’’ he said.