Nov 30 – One of Australia's largest coal export ports has resumed operations as of Monday, according to the port operator. This comes after climate-change protesters disrupted shipping at the Port of Newcastle for a second day on Sunday.

The climate activist group Rising Tide, which organized the protest, stated that hundreds of activists took to kayaks and entered the shipping lane in Newcastle Harbour on Sunday morning, breaching a designated exclusion zone.

Located 170 km (110 miles) north of Sydney, the port is the biggest bulk shipping facility on Australia's east coast, where climate change remains a controversial topic.

A spokesperson for the Port of Newcastle announced late Sunday, “Vessel operations will resume tomorrow as scheduled,” after general cargo movements, including alumina headed for Australia’s largest aluminum smelter, Tomago, were halted due to the protest.

Rising Tide reported that over 100 protesters were arrested on Sunday. While police did not immediately verify this figure, they previously stated that 21 people were arrested and charged with “marine-related offenses” during the protest.

Greenpeace Australia Pacific mentioned that three of its activists climbed onto a coal ship near the port, halting its operations as part of what they described as a peaceful protest.

Joe Rafalowicz, head of climate and energy at Greenpeace Australia Pacific, said in a statement, “Greenpeace, along with Rising Tide and thousands of regular people, are engaging in actions big and small this weekend.”

The protest at Newcastle on Saturday forced an inbound ship to turn around, leading to 11 arrests. A similar multi-day climate action took place last year, resulting in 170 arrests.

Coal remains one of Australia's top export commodities, alongside iron ore. The Australian government has pledged to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

(Reporting by Sam McKeith in Sydney; Editing by Michael Perry)