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Posted by Allen Newton
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21 May, 2026
THE MARITIME Union of Australia WA branch has reached a new transhipment agreement for CSL’s BCI Mardie Salt operations.
The agreement, which will begin later this year according to an MUA Facebook post, largely mirrors the WA transhipment agreement approved by FWC in mid-2024, though it does incorporate some previously excluded expense related allowances from the Seagoing Industry Award:
- Year 1 - 5%
- Year 2 - 5%
- Year 3 - 3.5% or CPI (whichever is the greater) capped at 5%
- Year 4 - 3.5% or CPI (whichever is the greater) capped at 5%
- Transhipment Allowance increased from $18,000 to $20,000 per annum in 2028.
While the transshipment vessel is currently foreign-flagged, it is expected to be re-flagged in Australia to start transshipment at Mardie Salt before being replaced with a new build vessel late next year.
The old vessel is to see out its remaining years with CSL and BCI’s 21-year contract supporting the Mardie Salt and Potash Project.
The project itself is a large-scale solar salt and sulphate of potash (SOP) development being built by BCI Minerals on the Pilbara coast of Western Australia, about 80 km south of Karratha. It is designed to become the largest solar salt operation in Australia and the third largest in the world.
In practical terms, the project uses seawater from the Indian Ocean and relies mainly on sun and wind to evaporate and concentrate brine in a large network of ponds. That process produces high-purity industrial salt, and the remaining brine can then be processed into sulphate of potash, a premium fertiliser used for crops.
The project spans more than 130 square kilometres and is planned as a 60+ year, multi-generational operation with a target production of about 5.3 million tonnes of industrial salt per year.
It also has plans to produce SOP as a by-product, adding a fertiliser revenue stream.
Exports are supported by a purpose-built port and a 2.4 km jetty at Cape Preston West, with transhipment used to load larger vessels for Asian markets.
BCI Minerals said operations have started and the project was targeting first salt on ship in Q2 FY27.
