Big Beverley arrives at Alkimos

AUSTRALIA’S biggest jack-up barge, Beverley, has arrived at Alkimos, just north of Perth as part of the construction of a $2.8 billion seawater desalination plant.

A state government media release said the Alkimos Seawater Desalination Plant (ASDP) had reached another significant step with the arrival of Australia's largest registered jack‑up barge.

Beverley will support a critical phase of the major infrastructure project which the media release said was central to securing Western Australia's long‑term water future.

A media release from Spanish-based Acciona said the acquisition of Beverley represented a major strategic investment that significantly enhanced Acciona’s ability to deliver complex marine infrastructure.

“Bringing this asset into the fleet reinforces Acciona’s commitment to ensuring it has the best assets for the projects it builds, and that Acciona’s end-to-end capabilities can deliver projects more effectively and efficiently,” the Acciona release said.

Acciona CEO for Australia and New Zealand, Bede Noonan, said Beverley would play a crucial role in the delivery of local projects and future marine works across the region and also carried personal significance for the Noonan family.

“Beverley is a game‑changer for marine construction in Australia. Securing the largest registered jack-up barge in Australia supports our ability to deliver some of the most technically challenging, offshore infrastructure projects, at a time when sustainable water infrastructure solutions are more crucial than ever,” Mr Noonan said.

“Currently Beverley is central to the complex construction of the offshore intake structure for desalination projects and will help shape sustainable infrastructure projects for years to come.

“In keeping with maritime tradition, Andre [Acciona chief operating officer] and I have named the vessel after our mother, Beverley. It’s a tribute that reflects both our family’s connection to the industry and the long‑standing custom of naming ships after women. It’s a proud moment for us and our family business.”

The release said Beverley was roughly the size of one and a half Olympic swimming pools, stood on 78‑metre legs and would install the ocean intake and outfall structures above the seabed.

These structures are to connect to the underground pipelines currently being bored by tunnel boring machines, eventually bringing seawater into the plant (intake) and returning the brine safely back to the ocean (outfall).

Two specialised jack‑up barges are being used to complete this work. The smaller support barge is to depart this month, while Beverley is to continue operations at the outfall location until marine works conclude in mid‑2026.

Beverley features an eight‑tonne‑per‑square‑metre deck load capacity, a 400‑tonne crane, a helideck and accommodation for more than 50 workers, enabling 24/7 operations to keep construction on schedule.

“The vessel's arrival marks the latest advancement in a project that will deliver 50 billion litres of drinking water to more than 2.5 million Western Australians as part of Stage 1, easing pressure on climate‑affected groundwater sources," the state government media release said.

“The ASDP is also providing strong economic benefits, supporting more than 1500 local jobs and injecting $1.1billion into the WA economy, including $65million in contracts awarded to Aboriginal businesses.

“With major tunnelling, pipeline and site works well advanced, the ASDP, being delivered under strict environmental conditions, remains on track to be fully operational by mid‑2028.”