The Port Douglas slipway has been temporarily closed for failing to meet environmental compliance requirements.

Reef Marina General Manager Rob Cruz said the marina, which manages the slipway, were forced to shut it down after being informed by Douglas Shire Council the slip was not meeting several Environmental Authority conditions.

The slipway services dozens of vessels in Port Douglas and the closure is likely to hamper many in the boating community. It’s also at the forefront of the proposed waterfront redevelopment.

“The Reef Marina takes its environmental obligations seriously,” Cruz said.

“Accordingly, we are obliged to temporally suspend slipway operations until the slipway is compliant with all council environmental requirements.

"The council has set out a few possible solutions to rectify a set of outstanding issues around waste management.”

Douglas Shire Council Executive Officer Kerrie Hawkes said the decision to close the slipway ultimately fell with the Reef Marina, but confirmed the Shire would work with them to find possible solutions.

“Council has offered all assistance to provide the slipway and The Reef Marina with waste management solutions,” Hawkes said.

“It is for The Reef Marina to manage these waste issues.”

It’s believed the major environmental issues centre around pollution running into Dickson Inlet, and harmful fumes caused by some maintenance techniques on boats. 

Local fishing operator Billy Dunn said the slipway's closure would affect local tour operators and onward bookings on the slip.

He said many wooden boats in the region relied on the train line slip in Port Douglas, which pulls boats from the water using a cradle rather than the sling technique of travel lifts.

“Old wooden boats don’t like travel lifts, they like the rails as they’re much kinder to the boats,” Dunn said.

“A lot of people have been left in limbo (by the closure). The tour boats don’t have any emergency facilities available to them at the moment which really hinders them.”

One of those is Port Douglas tourism operator Lady Douglas, which offers sunset river cruises around the inlet. Owner Lucas Agrums said he would have to look at maintenance alternatives while the slipway was closed.

“Basically you can't blast the bottom areas of your boat if there is no slipway so the reality is we'd have to look at taking our boats to Cairns,” Agrums said.

"That is not ideal for a small boat like ours and if (the slipway) was to remain closed it would be disappointing for local boat owners.”

Cruz said the Reef Marina was in the process of investigating what could be done for the slipway to meet the Environmental Authority compliance requirements.

"We have taken the council’s suggestions on board,” Cruz said.

“At this stage we don’t have a time frame for this process.”