PortFacilities
CAIRNS
PORT FACILITIES
The Port of Cairns has a total of 11 wharves (Figure XI-24). Wharves 1 through 6 form a continuous quay length of 1,952 ft (595 m). Wharves 1 through 5 are made of reinforced concrete, with Wharf No. 6 being a combination of timber and concrete. Wharves 7 and 8 are made of reinforced concrete decking on steel piles forming a continuous quay length of 820 ft (250 m). When used together, Wharves 7 and 8 can accommodate vessels up to 820 ft (250 m) long. There is no Wharf Number 9. Wharves 10, 11 and 12 are special purpose facilities. Table XI-13 lists the specifications of each wharf. Wharves 7 and 8 are the most likely candidates for berthing a U.S. Navy vessel. Wharf 2 is also a possibility.
In addition to the foregoing wharves that are intended for use by ocean-going vessels, there are many facilities for smaller watercraft. The Port of Cairns is home port to many fishing vessels, Great Barrier Reef tour and dive boats, privately owned pleasure craft and sundry other small vessels.
Local harbor authorities state that a typical U.S. Navy aircraft carrier would be too big for the port to accommodate. They further theorized that an LPH sized ship could be accommodated, but "it would be close." Larger U.S. Navy vessels, such as USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19), would be berthed at wharves 7 and 8. It is estimated that the Port of Cairns can accommodate two FFG/FF size vessels (JICPAC, 1997d). The longest vessel to visit the Port of Cairns as of 1994 was a 792 ft (241.5 m) long cruise ship. The heaviest vessel was a cruise ship that displaced 55,451 tons (Cairns Port Authority, 1994).
According to a Cairns Seaport brochure, the Port of Cairns has a highly experienced shipbuilding and repair industry. A dry dock is available for vessels up to 196.8 ft (60 m) in length. There are also two travel lifts and five slipways, the largest of which has a 3,000 ton capacity. The brochure further states that for larger vessels, repairs of any kind can be undertaken alongside.
Pilotage is mandatory at Cairns. Pilots are embarked/debarked 1.5 nmi seaward of the end of the entrance channel. The Port of Cairns has two tug boats. One has a 15-ton bollard pull rating, and is at Cairns full time. The second tug, with a bollard pull rating of 25-tons, is at Cairns during the dry season, but moves to Mourilyan, about 60 nmi south of Cairns, during the wet (tropical cyclone) season, also known as the "sugar season." It takes approximately six hours to get the second tug to Cairns when needed.
Source: http://www.nrlmry.navy.mil/port_studies/thh-nc/australi/cairns/text/sect2.htm
