Maintenance dredging begins at Port of Hay Point

North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation (NQBP) is set to undertake maintenance dredging at the Port of Hay Point, including Half Tide Tug Harbor, from this week.

The works, to be undertaken with TSHD Brisbane, are estimated to take up to 28 days, from late August until mid-September 2024.

NQBP Chief Executive Officer, Brendan Webb, said that maintenance dredging is undertaken by port authorities around the world and is critical for maintaining port infrastructure.

“In the same way we maintain roads and rail lines for freight transport, we need to maintain our shipping channels and berth pockets to keep trade flowing,” Mr Webb said.

“The Port of Hay Point is one of the largest steel-making coal export facilities in the world and its operations are of tremendous benefit to Queenslanders, supporting thousands of jobs and enabling tens of billions of dollars in export value.”

Maintenance dredging involves relocating natural sediment which has travelled along the coast and accumulated in shipping navigational areas.

The sediment is set to be relocated in the sea at the approved Dredge Material Placement Area, 6km away from shipping operations.