These works are part of BHP Billiton’s Rapid Growth Project 5 (RGP5), designed to increase installed capacity of the company’s iron ore operations in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, by 50 million tonnes, to 205 million tonnes per annum. The project is expected to deliver first production in the second half of the 2011 calendar year.

The scope of work for Jan De Nul Group includes dredging for new berth pockets and extensions to the existing departure channel and swing basin.

These impressive works will be executed amongst other with the help of dredging vessels, registered under Luxembourg flag such as Leonardo Da Vinci.

The harbour has two types of dredge materials. The first, Potentially Acid Sulphate Soil (PASS) is a naturally occurring sediment, commonly found along the coastline. It will be kept wet and put back into the ocean as sediment, being disposed of offshore.

The second is dredge material that can be safely disposed of on land. Those will be reclaimed ashore. Environmental controls are in place to meet stringent water quality criteria for run-off from the settlement management areas, which will be constructed within controlled weir boxes.

The target date for completion of these works is 2010.