You are here:

1. Home
2. Shipping
3. Port procedures and information for shipping manuals
4. Port Procedures and Information for Shipping – Cooktown

Port Procedures and Information for Shipping – Cooktown

Cooktown is situated about 91 nautical miles north of Cairns and is the most northerly port on the east coast of Australia. Today it is known as a community port, managed by the Far North Queensland Ports Corporation (Ports North) and is used mainly by fishing vessels, small passenger vessels and recreational craft.

Port Procedures and Information for Shipping – Cooktown pilotage area (PDF, 853 KB) (last updated March 2012).

This document has also been split into sections for easy download (as a result links within the sections may not work).

• Table of contents (PDF, 93 KB) 
  • Table of amendments
• Section 1 – Introduction (PDF, 69 KB) 
  • Introduction
  • Purpose
  • Scope
  • Authorities
  • Definitions
• Section 2 – Movement procedures (PDF, 108 KB) 
  • General
  • Harbour contact details
  • Pilotage
  • Ship movement reporting requirements
  • Passenger ship bookings 
  • Request for pilot
  • Pilot boarding arrangements
  • Pilotage reporting requirements for Torres Strait and Great Barrier Reef (GBR) 
  • AUSREP 
  • REEFVTS 
  • Customs
• Section 3 – Restrictions (PDF, 38 KB) 
  • Ship size limits
  • Speed limits
  • Under keel clearance
  • Ship-sourced sewage
  • Channel depths
  • Tidal streams
  • Notices to Mariners
• Section 4 – Communications (PDF, 24 KB) 
  • VHF communications
• Section 5 – Emergency procedures (PDF, 160 KB) 
  • Threat identification
  • Cyclone
  • Port of Cooktown cyclone contingency plan
  • Tidal (storm) surge
  • Flood
  • Oil pollution 
  • Marine incidents
  • Emergency contacts list
• Section 6 – Dangerous goods (PDF, 30 KB) 
  • General
• Section 7 – Navigation procedures (PDF, 38 KB) 
  • Charts and publications 
  • Cooktown approaches – features and descriptions 
  • Leading lights and beacons
  • Berthing and vessel facilities
  • Anchoring restrictions
• Section 8 – Appendices (PDF, 486 KB) 
  • Marine incident report (form 3071) (PDF, 149 KB) 
  • Arrival/departure report (PDF, 57 KB) 
  • Notification of intention to load/unload/transfer dangerous goods (PDF, 111 KB) 
  • Notice of intention to book passenger vessel (PDF, 38 KB) 
  • Vessel details report (new ship) (PDF, 184 KB)

Contact information

• Regional Harbour Master (Cairns)
  Phone: +61 7 4052 7494^z
  Fax: +61 7 4052 7427^w
  Email: RHMCairns@msq.qld.gov.au
• Cairns VTS centre 
  Phone: +61 7 4052 7470^z
  Fax: +61 7 4052 7460^w
  Email: vtscairns@msq.qld.gov.au
• Ports North (Cairns) 
  Phone: +61 7 4052 3888^z
  Fax: +61 7 4052 3853^w
  Email: enquiries@portsnorth.com.au
• Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS)
• Customs
• Bureau of Meteorology

^zLocal call – higher rates may apply outside local area or from mobile phones.

^wLocal call – higher rates may apply outside local area.