Under the Transport Operations (Marine Safety) Act 1994, control of navigation in the port is the responsibility of the Regional Harbour Master, an officer of Maritime Safety Queensland.

Vessel Traffic Services, a division of Maritime Safety Queensland, is responsible for shipping movements in the pilotage area and operates 24 hours a day.

Access to the port is via Moreton Bay. Deep-water channels are a minimum 280m wide from Fairway Beacons to Entrance Beacons. The minimum depth is 15.0m LAT (Lowest Astronomical Tide).

Minimum under keel clearances (UKC) for Moreton Bay vary according to the vessel's draft and the route taken. Tidal windows are calculated using the DUKC (Dynamic Under Keel Clearance) system.

The Brisbane River is dredged to 9.1m LAT upstream of the Fisherman Islands swing basin and a minimum UKC of 0.6m is required. This UKC increases with draft. Minimum UKC alongside any wharf is 0.3m. UKC windows for both the bay and river can be obtained from Brisbane Port Control.

Channels and Swing Basins