Babcock weighs in to Queensland coal logistics debate

<p>Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal (DBCT) owner Babcock and Brown Infrastructure (BBI) felt moved to defend itself yesterday (Thursday, May 31) as the public debate over coal export bottlenecks heated up. </p> <p>&#8220A number of comments have implied or explicitly identified DBCT itself as the cause of, or contributing to, delays in the delivery of coal through the Goonyella coal supply chain," the investment bank subsidiary said. </p> <p>&#8220These comments and assertions are incorrect. In each and every month of the current financial year (i.e. since July 1, 2006), the terminal has not received sufficient coal to enable DBCT to function at its full operating capacity. </p> <p>&#8220That is, DBCT has spare operating capacity to blend, load and ship more coal if it can be delivered to the DBCT site. </p> <p>&#8220To date, neither operational, maintenance nor expansion activities at DBCT have caused delays in the delivery of coal through the Goonyella coal supply chain.&#8221</p> <p>BBI’s chief operating officer for transport, Jeff Pollock, dodged the chance to apportion blame for the bottlenecks, taking a conciliatory line.</p> <p>&#8220BBI’s DBCT team urges all stakeholders in the Goonyella coal supply chain, to work together constructively to ensure that any upgrades or expansions required to mining, rail or port infrastructure are completed and operating performance parameters agreed, such that the Goonyella coal supply chain as a whole can match the expanded terminal capacity by the target date and that the demand from the international customer base can be met,&#8221 he said. </p> <br />