Charles Darwin TSHD Arrives at Brisbane to Conduct Airport Work

Charles Darwin, a Trailing Suction Hopper Dredger (TSHD), used for dredging loose material such as sand, clay or gravel, has arrived to Brisbane.

The dredger will be crucial in building Brisbane Airport’s second runway, Brisbane Times has reported.

Charles Darwin will dredge the seafloor section of Moreton Bay, called Middle Banks, and transport the sand to Luggage Point.

The sand will than be pumped north of Brisbane’s main runway creating the new airport runway.

Jan De Nul Group is in charge of compacting 13 million cubic metres of sand to lay the solid base for the runway.

The works need to be finished by March 2015 to allow the 2 to 3 years for the sand platform to consolidate the underlying soft swampy soils before construction of the runway and taxiway pavements can commence around 2017.

The new parallel runway system is targeted to be operational in 2020.

Dredging Today Staff, June 3, 2014; Image: Jan de Nul