Action by Greenpeace campaigners has halted coal loading at Hay Point port in northeast Queensland, BHP Billiton Ltd. (BHP) said Thursday.

On Wednesday morning, Greenpeace protesters illegally entered the Hay Point Coal Terminal, BHP said.

"We ceased coal loading operations yesterday (Wednesday) morning to ensure the safety of the protesters and our employees," a spokeswoman told Dow Jones Newswires. "All of our employees are still on site."

"We're still working with police and relevant authorities and we'll resume operations as soon as it's safe to do so.".

Any material impact, will be reported in BHP Billiton's next production report, she said.

The Hay Point Coal Terminal, located 38 kilometers south of Mackay city, is jointly owned by BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance, or BMA, one of Australia's largest coal miners and exporters, and the world's largest supplier to the seaborne coking coal market, according to its website.

Greenpeace said it has maintained actions for three days at Hay Point, disrupting coal loading to highlight the massive expansion of Australia's coal export capacity at a time when 14 leaders of Pacific nations are meeting at the northern Australian city of Cairns at the Pacific Islands Forum demanding action on climate change.

Four people have blocked coal loaders at Hay Point now for more than 30 hours, Greenpeace said in a statement.

A number of protesters have already been arrested, but another four remain chained 40 meters up on the coal loader, according to an Australian Broadcasting Corp. report.

Their dangerous predicament has made authorities reluctant to bring them to the ground.

Greenpeace reported maneuvering the largest vessel in its fleet, the 72-meter former Russian navy fire fighting vessel the Esperanza, into the port to block a berth at the terminal.

Pacific Island leaders want cuts in carbon emissions of 45%, but all they have received is "platitudes to help build higher sea walls against the rising tides caused by Australian coal," Greenpeace campaigner Lagi Toribau said.

BMA owns and operates seven mines in the port's hinterland in the Bowen Basin and manages two others owned by a BHP Billiton-Mitsui & Co. joint venture.

Following a recent expansion program, the Hay Point terminal has the capacity to handle and dispatch around 44 million metric tons of coal a year.

   -By Ray Brindal, Dow Jones Newswires; 612-6208-0902; ray.brindal@dowjones.com