At a Glance

  • Export gateway for mineral resource wealth of north-west Queensland
  • Primary exports include zinc concentrate and fertiliser
  • 1.75 million tonnes of product loaded to ship across Berth 7 in 2014
  • Export markets include Europe, Asia and North America
  • Handle Glencore and third-party products
  • One of the port's oldest and largest customers
  • Operations date back to the establishment of Mount Isa Mines over 90 years ago
  • Fully enclosed facilities for health, safety and environmental performance

Berth 8

In April 2015 Glencore's Berth 8 facility was commissioned, helping secure the long-term export future for mineral concentrates and fertiliser products produced within the resource-rich North West Minerals Province.

Jointly funded by the Port of Townsville, Glencore and Incitec Pivot, the $85 million Berth 8 facility delivered two-and-a-half times more shiploading capacity, greater berth efficiency and significant improvements in our environmental performance.

Berth 8 replaced the older facilities at Berth 7, which were first constructed over 100 years ago in 1913.

Around $5 million of the total project cost was invested directly in improving our environmental performance in air and water quality. This included better site water capture and treatment from the Berth 8 facility and the installation of enclosed conveyors and specialised dust collection systems at multiple points along our logistics network.

About Glencore Port Operations

At the Port of Townsville Glencore manages and operates the Berth 8 shiploader in conjunction with storage and logistics facilities.

Our port operations represent a critical part of our integrated copper and zinc supply chain, which provides jobs for more than 6,100 people across North Queensland. Our businesses explore, mine, process, transport, store and export copper and zinc-lead-silver commodities from our operations across Queensland to the rest of the world.

We store, handle and export a number of own-source and third-party products, including zinc and copper concentrates fertiliser (on behalf of Incitec Pivot Limited) and small amounts of lead concentrates.

Our Mount Isa Mines lead bullion and copper cathode are managed and exported generally across Berth 3 by Northern Stevedoring Services (NSS).

Fact sheet