24 July 2013
Media Release

Queensland Sugar Limited (QSL) has welcomed the announcement by the Federal and State Government that funding will be made available under the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements to further dredge the Bundaberg Port. This will allow QSL to recommence exporting raw sugar from the Bundaberg Sugar Terminal directly to overseas customers.

QSL General Manager Operations Damian Ziebarth thanked the State and Federal Governments for their support of the Queensland sugar industry.

“I would like to thank the State and Federal Governments for recognising the urgency for this work to be completed. It’s important that the work is completed before turtle nesting season starts in October when restrictions are put in place until March next year. We need the 2012 sugar sitting in the sheds at Bundaberg moved to make room for the 2013 harvest which is now being crushed,” Mr Ziebarth said.

The shipping channel in the port of Bundaberg was built-up earlier this year with silt from the floods and this prevented ships from entering. Emergency dredging work was undertaken by the Gladstone Ports Corporation which allowed ships to enter the port and take sugar to Mackay where it is being loaded onto larger ships for export to customers.