Summary
MACKAY
SUMMARY
The Port of Mackay is not a tropical cyclone haven. The small, man-made harbor is exposed and vulnerable to winds, wave motion from specific directions and storm surge. The Mackay Port Authority instructs all vessels in the port to put to sea whenever Mackay is included in the area covered by a "Cyclone Warning" issued by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology.
The Port of Mackay only has five berths. Each berth is capable of accommodating vessels to 50,000 DWT. There is no specific channel leading to the Port, and the Port does not have a designated anchorage area. The use of a Harbor Pilot is required for arriving and departing vessels.
It is the recommendation of this evaluation that U.S. Navy ships in port at Mackay sortie as soon as a tropical cyclone threat to Mackay is identified, and not wait until an order to put to sea is issued by the Mackay Port Authority.
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This hurricane haven evaluation was prepared by
R. Gilmore and R. E. Englebretson of Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), Monterey, CA. and S. Brand of Naval Research Laboratory, Monterey, CA.
Source: http://www.nrlmry.navy.mil/port_studies/thh-nc/australi/mackay/text/summary.htm
