Maritime environment projects in Golden Gecko nominations

SOUTHERN Ports’ environmental efforts and waste minimisation during its $10.6 million Berth 2 hardstand renewal at the Port of Esperance have put it among a cluster of maritime-oriented finalists in the Golden Gecko Award for Environmental Excellence.

The port authority was announced as one of 15 finalists in the 2025 Resources Award for Excellence program, hosted by the Department of Mines, Petroleum and Exploration.

Other maritime-related finalists include 02 Marine, nominated for its Marine Environmental Quality Monitoring Program implemented across Western Australian ports, adopting a coordinated, risk-based approach to protecting marine environments.

A media release from the state government said the programs enable trend detection in water and sediment quality, early identification of environmental risks, and the generation of actionable data to support port planning, impact mitigation and transparent reporting to regulators, stakeholders and the community.

Tellus has been nominated for its Sandy Ridge hazardous and challenging waste disposal of naturally occurring radioactive material from offshore oil and gas operations. It is also Australia’s first commercial geological repository licenced for Class V hazardous and low-level radioactive waste.

BiSN has been nominated for its alternative means of compliance using Bismuth Based Alloys for well plug and abandonment using its wel-lok technology, which contributes to long-term environmental protection by delivering permanent gas-tight barriers during the well abandonment process.

Chevron has been nominated for its Thevenard Island Retirement Project Site Restoration. Following the retirement and decommissioning of facilities on Thevernard Island, Chevron demonstrated positive environmental outcomes through the reuse of cement-containing materials for landform reconstruction, diverting approximately 29,000 m3 (54,000 tonnes) of waste from landfill.

Active planting was chosen to enable faster vegetation establishment and reduced the timeframe to restore ecosystem function.

The Southern Ports Esperance project involved installing an innovative filtration system that removes dissolved contaminants, such as ammonia, collected in rainwater washing across the berth as well as repurposing 4100m3 of materials – largely remnants from the demolition of the old hardstand – into aggregate to create a better suited base for port laydown areas.

Southern Ports acting CEO Virginia Wilson said innovative lateral thinking was the key to repurposing construction waste from landfill which ultimately created cost savings and an increase in capacity of trade.

“Sustainability is at the forefront of our minds and so too is how we can improve and care for our infrastructure and assets,” said Ms Wilson. “Our team approached this project knowing that just because the materials were no longer fit-for-purpose in the hardstand did not mean they were no longer of use.

“We’re pleased to be recognised as a finalist in this prestigious awards program which demonstrates our commitment to excellence and caring for the environment that we live, work and play in.”

The new stormwater treatment system prevents harmful contaminants from being washed into the ocean by rain events and is the first-of-its-kind installed at a WA port, and only the second in Australia.

Effective use of the system has been shown to remove up to 80% of ammonia contaminants from stormwater and has enabled the Port of Esperance to increase its licencing capacity to import more fertiliser.

“The project provided us the opportunity to repurpose construction waste, improve our stormwater quality and increase our fertiliser trade capacity.” 

The hardstand renewal project was completed in 2023.

The 2025 Resources Award for Excellence including the Golden Gecko Award for Environmental Excellence will be presented on 30 October.