Abbot Point

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Deepwater port in Queensland, Australia

title: "Abbot Point" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["ports-and-harbours-of-queensland", "north-queensland", "coal-mining-in-queensland", "1984-establishments-in-australia", "adani-group"] description: "Deepwater port in Queensland, Australia" topic_path: "geography/australia" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbot_Point" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Deepwater port in Queensland, Australia ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox port"]

Field	Value
name	Abbot Point
image	Abbot Point Terminal.jpg
image_caption	Abbott Point port infrastructure from the sea, 2018
country	Australia
location	25 km north of Bowen
coordinates
pushpin_map	Australia
pushpin_map_geomask	yes
locode	AUABP
berths	2
draft_depth	19.1 m.
operated	Adani Group
owner	North Queensland Bulk Ports
type	Artificial
arrivals	190 (2010-11)
cargotonnage	15,063,943 (2010-11)
website
::

The Port of Abbot Point is home to the North Queensland Export Terminal (NQXT), the most northerly deepwater coal port of Australia, situated approximately 25 km north-west of the town of Bowen, Queensland. Established in 1984, it consists of a rail in-loading facility, coal handling and stockpile areas, and a single trestle jetty and conveyor connected to a berth and shiploader, located 2.75 km off-shore. Coal reaches the port via the GAP railway line from the Bowen Basin Coalfields.

The Port of Abbot Point is of significant strategic value to North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation, as there are very few locations along Queensland's eastern seaboard where deep water (15m) is so close in-shore.

Terminal 1

Adani Ports signed a 99-year lease on Abbot Point Terminal 1 in 2011. The deal cost Adani Group $1.83 billion.

Abbot Point Operations been contracted by North Queensland Export Terminal to manage the operations at the port of Abbot Point.

Expansion

The port is planned to provide export facilities for coal mined from the Galilee Basin. The terminal has approvals to be expanded with the addition of a second wharf and shiploader as well as an additional onshore stockyard and machines, however this was tabled due to the sizing down of the Carmichael Mine. The road and railway to the port have been targeted at times by non-violent direct action by environmentalists opposed to coal exports.

An environmental assessment which included a review of 16 environmental studies, found the port's expansion would not have a significant impact on the Great Barrier Reef and that Greenpeace's claims regarding the expansion's impact were overstated. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Protection Authority (GBRMPA) advised minister Greg Hunt not to approve dredging for the Abbott Point coal port expansion. The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act was amended so that government does not have to consider expert advice before approving major developments such as mines and ports.

GVK-Hancock Coal

Federal approval for the port to be used by Hancock Coal to export coal from the Alpha Coal Project was granted on 10 October 2012. Conditions for the go-ahead included a seagrass offset scheme, a wetland management plan, funding for Indigenous rangers, monitoring of air and water quality, amongst a total of 60 conditions aimed primarily to protect the Great Barrier Reef. For every 1 ha of seagrass impacted by the port expansion, 8 ha must be protected.

Bowen Orbital Spaceport

In May 2021, it was announced that private Australian rocket launch company Gilmour Space Technologies was given the go-ahead by the Queensland Government to build a rocket launch facility in Abbot Point. The company's rocket, Eris, lifted off for the first time on the 29 May 2025, with the mission ending in failure after 14 seconds of flight time.

References

"UNLOCODE (AU) - AUSTRALIA". [[UNECE]].
"Port of Abbot Point, Australia". Shipping Guides Ltd.
"NQBP Abbot Point". North Queensland Bulk Ports North Queensland.
(Oct 2020). "Abbot Point Factsheet".
(3 May 2011). "Adani of India to Buy Australian Port for $2 Billion".
(1 May 2012). "Rio's exit 'won't blunt Abbot Point plan'". Fairfax Media.
Daniel Hurst. (3 May 2011). "Asset sale yields $1.8 billion". Fairfax Media.
"Abbot Point Operations".
Paine, Andy. (2022-10-26). "Frontline Action on Coal FLAC: Ten Years on the Climate Frontline".
"16 Environmental Studies".
"Greenpeace share FOI documents on Great Barrier Reef coal port dredging at Abbot Point | Mining Australia".
(25 October 2012). "Hope for coal terminal report to allay green fears". Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Jabour, Bridie. (4 February 2014). "Great Barrier Reef park directors still face conflict of interest questions". The Guardian.
Melissa Maddison and Megan Woodward. (10 October 2012). "Burke approves new Abbot Point coal terminal". Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
AAP. (10 October 2012). "New Abbot Point coal terminal wins federal approval". News Limited.
Rosanne Barrett. (11 October 2012). "Coal terminal comes with big strings attached". News Limited.
(20 May 2021). "QLD Govt gives go-ahead for a small rocket launch site at Abbot Point". [[Gilmour Space Technologies]].
"Australian-made rocket crashes after attempted north Queensland launch".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::