Police Minister Yasmin Catley has slammed climate activists who blocked the entrance to the Port of Newcastle on Sunday morning, preventing the scheduled arrival of two coal ships.
The Rising Tide members entered the shipping channel aboard kayaks and a small boat displaying a banner bearing 'Stop HVO", a reference to the proposed expansion of the Hunter Valley Operations coal mine.
If approved, the expansion would result in the largest coal mine in NSW history.
The protest prevented the arrival of the coal ship Marielena, which was scheduled to arrive at 8.30am. Another ship scheduled for arrival at 9:30am, Seacon Seattle, was cancelled.
Police spoke to the boat's skipper, 85-year-old June Norman, and other boat occupant Campbell Knox.
No arrests were made.
Ms Catley, who is also Minister for the Hunter, described the blockade as a "dangerous stunt".
"The Port of Newcastle is not a playground for political stunts - it is a working port, a trade gateway and a major employer for the Hunter," she said.
"Disrupting port operations does not support Hunter workers, strengthen industry or advance serious climate policy.
"People can protest peacefully, but they should never perform dangerous stunts in active shipping channels that put people at risk and disrupt one of the Hunter's most important economic assets."
Sunday's blockade follows the arrest of a 17-year-old from Newcastle on Tuesday, May 19, who was charged after allegedly vandalising Premier Chris Minns' office in protest of a Hunter coal mine extension.
The statement from Rising Tide said the teenager attempted to hand himself in at Waratah police station on Tuesday afternoon but police declined to arrest him.
The teen then handed himself in at Belmont police station, where he was arrested and charged with possessing a graffiti implement with intent and intentionally marking a premises without prescribed consent.
As the world's largest coal port, Newcastle exported 149 million tonnes of coal in 2025.
The October 2025 net zero transformation report predicted the value of Australia's fossil fuel exports could decrease by about 50 per cent in the next five years.
The report said declining export values would result from both falling volumes and declining coal prices, both of which are attributed to a rapid decline in global demand.
However, the forecast is at odds with coal market analysts who believe demand for Hunter coal will remain strong, possibly through to 2040.
