Newcastle, New South Wales
With an estimated construction value of $90 million, the two-berth coal loading wharf structure being undertaken by Laing O'Rourke forms part of the client's vision to expand on the existing ship loading facilities in the region. The project is located on the southern side of the Kooragang Island on the south arm of the Hunter River, approximately six kilometres north-west of Newcastle.
The client, NCIG, was established by a number of coal producers to ensure sufficient coal handling infrastructure capacity was available to Hunter Valley and Gunnedah Basin coal producers. Members of the group include BHP Billiton (through Hunter Valley Energy Coal), Centennial Coal, Donaldson Coal, Peabody Energy (through Excel Coal), Felix Resources and Whitehaven Coal.
FEATURES:
The wharf infrastructure will comprise land and marine piles, main wharf structure, shiploader support rails and maintenance access roads and walkways. The project footprint extends more than 800 metres along the northern foreshore of the south-arm of the Hunter River. Construction activities include:
- Earthworks and revetment construction
- Precast concrete roadway supported on a fully welded and painted steel and steel pile support structure
- Structural steelwork including the fender headstocks, fender frame bracing, thrust headstocks and intermediate thrust headstocks and access walkways
- Steel raker piles, insitu concrete thrust blocks, struts, walkways, mooring bollards and associated steelwork
- Two maintenance bays comprising piles, structural steel, precast concrete beams and insitu concrete decks
- Eastern Mooring Dolphin and walkway
- Retractable platforms and retractable platform support steelwork.
BENEFITS:
Drawing on Laing O'Rourke's experienced personnel with specialties in marine works and steel fabrication and erection, the team developed and proposed a land-based construction method rather than the traditional marine approach that our competitors adopted and proposed.
This land-based alternative was a determining factor that won Laing O'Rourke the contract and provided the client with a solution to potential impacts the marine works would have had on local dredging operators undertaking significant dredging activities along the Hunter River. Other advantages include:
- higher production rates and subsequently shorter construction program, with savings passed onto the client
- a purpose designed temporary wharf for marine piling operations will be up to twice as fast compared to a barge based method.
CLIENT: Newcastle Coal Infrastructure Group (NCIG)
TESTIMONIAL:
"Laing O'Rourke has a proactive approach and it appears that they lead from the top down when it comes to safety, and safety is an important consideration on jobs like this."
Wayne Dawson, Aurecon Hatch (Engineering Project Construction Manager for NCIG)
