Thursday Island Port Procedures and Information for Shipping

Image of the port of Thursday Island

The port of Thursday Island is a community port located in a natural harbour in the Torres Strait in the northern-most part of Australia. Wharf facilities are managed by Far North Queensland Ports Corporation (trading as Ports North) and have been established on both Thursday Island and the neighbouring Horn Island where the airport is located.

The port is mainly used by general cargo trading ships which supply goods to the local people, for transhipments to the outer surrounding islands, tourist and passenger vessels and fishermen. It is a designated port of entry for customs and quarantine clearance, so Thursday Island serves as a base for a number of government agencies.

Thursday Island shipping manual

Download the complete version of the Procedures and Information for Shipping manual for Port of Thursday Island.

View the Thursday Island: Port Procedures and Information for Shipping publication set (smaller downloadable sections).

Alternatively, please select the section of the Port Procedures and Information for Shipping:

  • Section 1 – Introduction
    • General
    • Purpose
    • Datum
    • Definitions
    • Australian Maritime Safety Authority - (AMSA)
    • Australian Standard – AS 3846, 2005
    • Far North Queensland Ports Corporation Limited
    • Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRPMA)
    • Length overall (LOA)
    • Lowest astronomical tide (LAT)
    • Manager (Pilotage Services)
    • Manager (Vessel Traffic Management)
    • Maritime Safety Queensland (MSQ)
    • MASTREP – the Modernised Australian Ship Tracking and Reporting System
    • Navigation Act
    • Pilotage Exemption Certificate (PEC)
    • QSHIPS – Queensland Shipping Information Planning System
    • REEFREP
    • Reef VTS
    • Regional Harbour Master (RHM)
    • Sailing time
    • Vessel Traffic Service Operator (VTSO)
    • Vessel Traffic Service (VTS)
    • Contact information
    • The Regional Harbour Master
    • Thursday Island Port Control
    • Port Authority
    • Rules and Regulations
    • General
    • Applicable legislation and regulations
  • Section 2 – Arrival and departure procedures
    • General
    • Arrival checklist
    • Departure checklist
    • Quarantine
    • Ballast water information
    • Customs
    • Customs – yacht arrivals
    • MASTREP reporting
    • Reef user guide
    • Security
  • Section 3 – Movement notification and traffic procedures
    • General
    • Port control
    • Port control role
    • Port control communications
    • Language
    • Voice recordings
    • Distress and emergency
    • QSHIPS (Queensland Shipping Information Planning System)
    • Ship movement reporting requirements
    • Passenger ship bookings
    • Reporting defects
    • Reporting Requirements – Arrival reporting requirements
    • Departure and removal reporting requirements
    • Movement scheduling
    • Confirmation of schedules
    • Schedule changes
    • Movement clearance notification
    • Master/Pilot responsibilities
    • Harbour contact details
  • Section 4 – Port description
    • General Information
    • Pilotage area
    • Maximum vessel size
    • Trim requirements
    • Time Zone
    • Working hours
    • Charts and books
    • Shipping announcements
    • Notices to Mariners
  • Section 5 – Port infrastructure
    • Berth, channel and swing basin information
    • Port navigation depths
    • Leading lights and beacons
    • Anchorage conditions
    • Anchorage areas
    • Normanby Sound Anchorage
    • Brisbane Rock West Anchorage
    • Inner Harbour Anchorage
    • Prohibited anchorages
  • Section 6 – Weather information
    • General
    • Extreme Weather Contingency Plan
    • Port Procedures and Information for Shipping – Port of Thursday Island, December 2020.
    • Tidal (storm) surge
    • Flood
    • Tidal information
    • Tidal streams
    • Seasonal effects on tides
    • Water density
  • Section 7 – Port navigation and movement restrictions
    • General
    • Speed
    • Movement restriction
    • Under keel clearance
    • Approaches to Thursday Island
    • Geographical details
    • Approaches to Thursday Island Harbour
    • Advisory note – interaction with marine mammals
  • Section 8 – Pilotage
    • Vessels that require a pilot
    • Night pilotage
    • Requests for pilot
    • Notice required
    • Personal Pilot Unit (PPU)
    • Pilotage Area
    • Pilot boarding places
    • Pilot boarding arrangements
    • Passage planning and bridge resource management (BRM)
    • Pilotage delays and cancellation fees
    • Alcohol management
    • Pilot licences, pilot area endorsements and exemption from pilotage licences
    • Examination for pilotage exemption area endorsement
    • Cancellation of licences
    • Pilotage reporting requirements for Torres Strait and Great Barrier Reef
  • Section 9 – Tugs
  • Section 10 – Work permits
    • General
    • Permit requests
    • Work permits description
    • Immobilisation main engines
    • Hot work permit
    • Boat drills
    • Engine trials
    • Notification of handling of bulk liquids – Night Fuel Transfer
    • Overside maintenance work
  • Section 11 – Dangerous goods
    • General
    • Notification
    • Dangerous cargo limits
    • Dangerous cargo events
  • Section 12 – Emergency, pollution, marine incidents
    • Emergency contact numbers
    • Authorities
    • Fire
    • Emergency plans
    • Marine pollution
    • Ship sourced sewage
    • Reporting
    • Marine incidents
    • Procedures subsequent to serious marine incidents
    • Marine Incident Reporting – Maritime Safety Queensland
    • Marine Incident Reporting – Australian Maritime Safety Authority
    • Marine Incident reporting - Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority
    • Environmental Incident Reporting
    • Port community responsibilities
  • Section 13 – Security
    • General
    • Security levels
    • Maritime security zones
    • Security measures
    • Reporting of incidents
    • Refuse ship entry – no International Ship Security Certificate
    • Shore access to ships and port facilities
    • Port security contacts
    • National Security
  • Section 14 – Port state control in Australia
  • Section 15 – Port services
    • Port facilities
    • Airport
    • Ferry
    • Shipping agencies
  • Section 16 – Appendices

Contact information

zLocal call – higher rates may apply outside local area or from mobile phones.

wLocal call – higher rates may apply outside local area.

Last updated
17 September 2023