The work at the port, which primarily exports metallurgical coal, will be undertaken by specialist vessel the TSHD Brisbane, on behalf of North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation (NQBP) and the port’s terminal operators. A real-time water quality dashboard is now available on NQBP’s website to enable monitoring during the project, expected to take around 40 days.
NQBP chief executive officer Nicolas Fertin said: “With three priority ports in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, respect for the environment is critical to everything we do.
“A range of environmental controls have been put in place to minimise potential impacts on the marine environment.
“Throughout the maintenance dredging works, there will be real-time, publicly available monitoring of water quality to detect any potential impacts and allow an immediate response to any unpredicted changes to water quality.”
Relocating sediment
Mr Fertin said the maintenance dredging involves relocating sediment – natural material made up of sands, silt and clay – that has travelled along the coast and accumulated in shipping navigational areas.
The sediment will be relocated in the sea, 6km away from shipping operations. Relocated material will not be placed on any coral reefs.
