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4. Port Procedures and Information for Shipping – Weipa

Port Procedures and Information for Shipping – Weipa

The port of Weipa is situated approximately 200 km south from the tip of Cape York on the west coast of the Cape York Peninsula and 800 km by road from Cairns. Weipa has a population of about 3500 people.

Its principal export is bauxite from the Rio Tinto Alcan (RTA) mine, the majority of which is shipped to the RTA refinery at Gladstone.

Port Procedures and Information for Shipping – Port of Weipa (PDF, 5.22 MB) (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, 130 KB)
  • Table of amendments
• Section 1 – Introduction (PDF, 56 KB)
  • General
  • Port description
  • Purpose
  • Datum
  • Definitions
  • Contact information
  • Rules and regulations
• Section 2 – Arrival and departure procedures (PDF, 53 KB)
  • General
  • Quarantine
  • Customs
  • Dangerous goods
  • AUSREP
  • REEFVTS
  • Security
• Section 3 – Movement notification and traffic procedures (PDF, 81 KB)
  • General
  • Port control centre – vessel traffic service (VTS)
  • Shipping management contact details
  • Prior notification of movements
  • QSHIPS
  • Reporting defects
  • Inbound reporting requirements
  • Outbound and removal reporting requirements
  • Access to Regional Harbour Master (Cairns)
• Section 4 – Port description (PDF, 45 KB)
  • General
  • Pilotage area
  • Load lines
  • Maximum vessel size
  • Trim requirements
  • Trim zone
  • Working hours
  • Charts and books
  • Shipping announcements
• Section 5 – Port infrastructure (PDF, 194 KB)
  • Berth and channel information
  • Loading gantries
  • Anchorage areas
  • Navigation aids
• Section 6 – Weather information (PDF, 1.43 MB)
  • General
  • Extreme weather event contingency plans 
  • Tidal information
  • Water density
• Section 7 – Port navigation and movement restrictions (PDF, 53 KB)
  • General
  • Speed
  • Channel depths and UKCs
  • Draught restrictions
  • Dynamic UKC programme (DUKC)
  • Berthing and sailing times
  • Approaches to pilot boarding ground
  • Movement scheduling
  • Restricted areas
• Section 8 – Pilotage (PDF, 47 KB)
  • Pilotage area limits
  • Vessels that require a pilot
  • Pilot boarding position
  • Pilotage delays and cancellations
  • Passage planning – bridge resource management (BRM)
  • Pilotage requirements for Torres Strait and Great Barrier Reef
• Section 9 – Tug procedures (PDF, 39 KB)
  • General
• Section 10 – Work permits (PDF, 47 KB)
  • General
  • Permit requests
  • Work permits
• Section 11 – Dangerous cargo (PDF, 41 KB)
  • General
• Section 12 – Port safety (PDF, 64 KB)
  • Emergency contact numbers
  • Authorities
  • Fire
  • Marine pollution
  • Marine incidents
  • Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) incident report form
• Section 13 – Security (PDF, 44 KB)
  • General
  • Security levels
  • National security
• Section 14 – Port state control inspections (PDF, 593 KB)
• Section 15 – Port services (PDF, 34 KB)
  • Bunkering
  • Shipping agencies
  • Miscellaneous contacts
• Section 16 – Appendices (PDF, 2.78 MB)
  • Ship movement booking form (PDF, 43 KB)
  • Vessel details report (first visit) (PDF, 53 KB)
  • DUKC vessel particulars request (PDF, 54 KB)
  • Cyclone tracking map (PDF, 276 KB)
  • Dangerous cargo report (PDF, 95 KB)
  • Dangerous cargo event report – form F3220 (PDF, 50 KB)
  • Provision of port pilot conditions (PDF, 162 KB)
  • Pilot launch – required boarding ladder arrangements (PDF, 229 KB)
  • Anchoring recommendations – Marine Notice 12/2008 (PDF, 79 KB)
  • Marine pollution report – form 3968 (PDF, 38 KB)
  • Marine incident report – form F3071 (PDF, 217 KB)
  • Defects report form AMSA 355 (PDF, 103 KB)
  • Example – gas-free status declaration (PDF, 19 KB)
  • Permission to immobilise main engines (PDF, 173 KB)
  • Example – permission to conduct lifeboat drills (PDF, 173 KB)
  • Maximum static draught in South Channel (PDF, 32 KB)
  • Example – chemist's certificate of compliance (PDF, 23 KB)
  • Pilotage plan (PDF, 215 KB)
  • Berth information (PDF, 102 KB)
  • Security exclusion zone (PDF, 278 KB)
  • Weipa port layout (PDF, 129 KB)
  • Pilot boarding ground (PDF, 95 KB)
  • Port and pilotage limits (PDF, 70 KB)
  • Pilotage – Instructions to masters, Marine Notice 9/2006 (PDF, 61 KB)
  • Bridge resource management and Torres Strait pilotage – Marine Notice 7/2009 (PDF, 390 KB)

Contact information

• Regional Harbour Master (Cairns)
  Phone: +61 7 4052 7470^z
  Fax: +61 7 4052 7460^w
  Email: rhmcairns@msq.qld.gov.au
• Port control
  Phone: +61 7 4052 7470^z
  Fax: +61 7 4052 7460^w
  Email: vtscairns@msq.qld.gov.au
• North Queensland Bulk Ports
  Phone: +61 7 4069 7749^z (after hours: +61 4 2818 0243^v, head office: +61 7 3224 7426^z)
  Fax: +61 7 3224 7234^w
• Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS)
  Phone: +61 7 4069 7380^z
  Fax: +61 7 4069 7390^w
• Customs
• Bureau of Meteorology