The Port of Brisbane is Australia's third busiest container port,368 approaching 38 million tonnes of total throughput in 2012-13.369 The construction of several additional wharves and container terminals has increased cargo capacity. The construction of two new bridges to the port, including a duplication of the Sir Leo Hielscher Bridge (Gateway Bridge), will cater for projected road freight traffic requirements.
Despite these developments, constraints on the rail system accessing the port reduce the efficiency of the port's operations. The capacity for coal trains to access the port is constrained by the priority given to passenger trains, where passenger and freight trains share the network.
Table 59: Queensland port tonnages - 2012-2013
| Total Throughput (mass tonnes) | Containerised trade in TEU | |||||||
| Port | Imports | Exports | Total | Total as % | Imports | Exports | Total | Total as % |
| Port of Brisbane Pty Ltd | 18,158,429 | 19,404,992 | 37,563,421 | 3.33% | 542,923 | 526,958 | 1,069,881 | 14.93% |
| Townsville (Townsville) | 6,671,391 | 5,434,413 | 12,105,804 | 1.07% | 25,953 | 24,220 | 50,173 | 0.70% |
| Cairns (Ports North) | 647,717 | 407,891 | 1,055,608 | 0.09% | 7,890 | 7,871 | 15,761 | 0.22% |
| Gladstone (Gladstone Ports) | 20,650,809 | 64,642,951 | 85,293,760 | 7.55% | 2,996 | 3,198 | 6,194 | 0.09% |
| Port Alma (Rockhampton) (Gladstone Ports) | 265,908 | 83,802 | 349,710 | 0.03% | 1,243 | 325 | 1,568 | 0.02% |
| Hay Point (NQBP) | 0 | 96,540,226 | 96,540,226 | 8.55% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00% |
| Weipa (NQBP) | 116,964 | 28,924,608 | 29,041,572 | 2.57% | 0 | 0 0 | 0 0 | 0.00% |
| Abbot Point (NQBP) | 0 | 17,744,621 | 17,744,621 | 1.57% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00% |
| Mackay (NQBP) | 1,592,937 | 1,677,030 | 3,269,967 | 0.29% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00% |
| Cape Flattery (Ports North) | 0 | 1,678,060 | 1,678,060 | 0.15% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00% |
| Karumba (Ports North) | 1,088 | 893,949 | 895,037 | 0.08% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00% |
| Mourilyan (Ports North) | 0 | 533,331 | 533,331 | 0.05% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00% |
| Lucinda (Townsville) | 6,105 | 438,308 | 444,413 | 0.04% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00% |
| Bundaberg (Gladstone Ports) | 0 | 204,800 | 204,800 | 0.02% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00% |
| Thursday Island (Ports North) | 64,787 | 12,701 | 77,488 | 0.01% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00% |
| Quintell Beach (Ports North) | 1,453 | 0 | 1,453 | 0.00% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00% |
| Skardon River (Ports North) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00% |
| Queensland Total | 48,177,588 | 238,621,683 | 286,799,271 | 25.40% | 581,005 | 562,572 | 1,143,577 | 15.96% |
Source: Ports Australia (2014a)370
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368. Port of Brisbane (2010)
369. Queensland Department of State Development, Infrastructure and Planning (2013)
370. State totals include small ports not specifically listed.