Australia: DEME Group, Van Oord to Start Gladstone Western Basin Dredging Project in June

Dredging International (Australia) Pty Ltd and Van Oord Australia Pty Ltd have been awarded the Western Basin Main Works Dredging – Parcel 5 contract in the Port of Gladstone, Queensland, Australia. The client of this AUD 260 million. (€ 190 million) contract is the Queensland Gladstone Ports Corporation. The contract was signed on 4th March 2011 in Gladstone. Dredging International (Australia) Pty Ltd is part of the Belgian Dredging, Environmental and Marine Engineering Group DEME. Van Oord Australia Lty Ltd is part of the Dutch, Rotterdam based, dredging and offshore contractor Van Oord.

The works under Parcel 5 of the WBDD project include dredging to – 7.5 m of a 3 km access channel and several access channel ramifications as well as several berth pockets. The specific aim of the Parcel 5 dredging works is to allow early access for heavy equipment and modules to the so called Material Offloading Facilities (MOF’s) on Curtis Island as well as to allow an early start of the LNG jetty construction. A total volume of about 6 million m3 will be dredged, of which about 4 million m3 will be disposed of in strictly defined disposal areas 45 km offshore. The remainder will be pumped ashore to create a provisional new port area in the Port of Gladstone.

The actual dredging works will start on 2nd June 2011 and have a contractual execution period of 40 weeks. Heavy-duty dredging equipment will be mobilized to complete this important dredging assignment. Two backhoe dredgers,, one backactor and a spread of splitbarges will start the works in June. As from August 2011 they will be joined by a seagoing cutter dredger to perform the planned reclamation works.

The works represent the first stage of the Western Basin Dredging Project (WBDD) that will allow the construction of all planned LNG facilities in Gladstone. Within the largest LNG scheme in Australia coal seam gas (coal bed methane) produced in the Surat and Bowen basins in eastern Queensland will be piped 435 km to several gas liquefaction plants on Curtis Island in Gladstone for conversion into LNG. The proponents for these facilities are Queensland CLNG (BG Group), and Gladstone LNG (Santos, Petronas and partners).

The entire project is subdivided into 7 independent Parcels with a total budget of approx. AUD 1,300 million. For the overall project an environmental impact statement (EIS) has been approved already.

Only a few weeks ago, Dredging International (Australia) Pty Ltd completed the Gladstone early works dredging and Fisherman’s reclamation works, which were the prelude to this important new contract.

About DEME

The Belgian dredging, environmental and marine engineering group DEME was established in 1991 from the merger between Dredging International and Baggerwerken Decloedt. A global market leader, the Group diversified from dredging operations and reclamation to hydraulic engineering projects at sea, services to the oil and gas companies, wreck clearance, installation of offshore wind farms and environmental activities such as soil remediation, sludge recycling and revalidation of brownfields. The Group owns one of the most up-to-date, highly technological and versatile fleets for dredging and hydraulic engineering, with vessels and ships of all sizes and for any operational area. DEME employs more than 4,000 people, The Flemish Group is implementing more than 70 projects simultaneously in over 50 countries around the world. Its current investment programme in high-tech equipment enables DEME to meet future challenges with an ultra-efficient and modern fleet.

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Source: deme, March 7, 2011