THE hundredth shipload of timber has been shipped by HQPlantations from Gladstone Ports Corporation’s Auckland Point berth.
HQPlantations began exporting from Auckland Point Berth five-years ago as part of a salvage operation following Tropical Cyclone Marcia.
Since then, the company has shipped more than 2.5m cubic metres of timber from GPC’s Auckland Point berth to markets across China.
HQPlantations export operations and development manager Joseph Carter said the milestone reinforces the company’s strong working relationship with GPC.
“It’s a significant milestone for the business, our partners in the supply chain and it demonstrates how much we’ve been able to achieve in just five years,” Mr Carter said.
“Our sustainably managed plantations produce over 2m cubic metres of logs annually and support both domestic and export industries.
“In addition to enabling timber salvage, export through Gladstone Port has also allowed us to grow our markets into south-east Asia for maturing timber surplus to domestic market requirements,” he said.
The business manages several plantations in Central Queensland.
“The Byfield plantation is the fourth largest plantation in our estate and we expect to have completely re-stocked this area by 2025 following the devastation caused by Cyclone Marcia,” Mr Carter said.
Acting GPC CEO Craig Walker said GPC’s three-port footprint facilitates trade for a very wide range of customers including companies like HQPlantations.
“Trade through our ports supports the Queensland and Australian economy and each port has a specialty focus so we can meet the needs of our customers,” Mr Walker said.
“We’re proud to have assisted HQPlantations in achieving their 100th vessel and we are looking forward to celebrating future successes with them.”
