Commercial shipping suspended at the Port of Devonport

Commercial shipping operations will be suspended at the Port of Devonport from midday Thursday 13 October due to expected flooding of the Mersey River catchment zone.

The direction to suspend operations at the port was made by the Tasmanian Harbour Master given current severe weather warnings issued by the Bureau of Meteorology and modelling advice that predicts severe flooding conditions.

In acknowledging the direction, TasPorts chief operating officer Stephen Casey said the company’s priority was the safety of port users, vessels and port infrastructure.

“The bureau is forecasting conditions similar to what was experienced in 2016 when a major flooding event in the catchment caused significant disruption to port operations,” he said.

“The port was closed indefinitely during this flooding event when the Mersey River filled with debris.”

Mr Casey said TasPorts had communicated directly with its customers following the Harbour Master’s direction and would continue to actively monitor the situation.

“TasPorts is prepared for any emergency support and recovery operations that may be required,” he said.

“Planning is a critical form of risk mitigation, and the Devonport port users have been very supportive with their preparations for the suspension of operations.”

Mr Casey said the Harbour Master’s direction would be in place until Sunday (16 October) when the weather conditions were expected to ease.