Australia: Gladstone Ports Awards Massive Dredging Contract

Treasurer Andrew Fraser has welcomed the announcement of a dredging project that will see Gladstone Port become one of the world’s major Liquid Natural Gas exporters.

Gladstone Ports Corporation announced that the first stage of the $1.3 billion Western Basin Dredging and Disposal Project has been awarded today.

Joint venture partners Van Oord and Dredging International Australia will commence the first stage of the dredging project worth an estimated $387 million immediately.

The Treasurer said this was a milestone day for the port.

“This is the largest dredging project undertaken in Australia and will ensure the economic future of the port and of Gladstone”, Mr Fraser said.

“Totally funded by the LNG proponents, the first stage of the project will see six million cubic tonnes of material dredged from the Western Basin and placed in the port’s offshore spoil area.

“This is approximately one quarter of the total amount of material to be dredged from the Western Basin,” said Mr Fraser.

“Dredging will start in early July and we expect that by early August the majority of spoil will be placed in the bund area currently under construction at Fisherman’s Landing.

“This project has been conditioned by both state and federal governments and will serve as a template for future dredging works throughout Australia.

“The conditioning of the Western Basin Disposal and Dredging Project shows the commitment of both this government and the federal government to the balanced and orderly development of the Gladstone region.”

Mr Fraser said stringent environmental conditions had been placed on the project.

“This is to ensure the project has minimal impact on the environs of the Gladstone harbour,” he said.

“The approval contains a stringent set of dredging conditions, monitoring requirements, ecosystem research plus a range of measures to protect and enhance endangered species.”

The Western Basin Dredging and Disposal Project incorporates the deepening and widening of existing channels and swing basins and the creation of new channels and swing basins over a 20 year period.

Material dredged during this project will be placed in a reclamation area to the north and immediately adjacent to the existing Fisherman’s Landing reclamation area which will create a land reserve used to service new port facilities.

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Source: cabinet.qld.gov, March 4, 2011;