PILBARA Ports has received Environmental Protection Authority approval to create a bypass channel at the Port of Port Hedland.
In a LinkedIn post, Pilbara Ports said the Zone 5 Bypass Channel would not require formal assessment and dredging would get underway in September, taking six to eight weeks to complete.
“This project supports our long-term planning to ensure safe, efficient and reliable operations as trade volumes continue to grow through the port. As one of our most highly utilised assets, the bypass channel will provide increased operational flexibility and continuity for port users,” the post said.
“The project has been developed in close consultation with major port users and aligns with our broader focus on strengthening the resilience and efficiency of the port over time.”
In a media release on 11 May, the EPA said the new navigation channel to the east of the existing shipping lane is proposed as a vessel contingency should a grounding incident occur in the Port Hedland main channel.
It follows the grounding last year when Fortescue’s iron ore carrier FMG Nicola broke down, potentially blocking the main channel.
Pilbara Ports said the new project supplemented existing emergency passing lanes and refuge zones, which were dredged during previous improvement projects.
Pilbara Ports chief executive Samuel McSkimming said the project was underpinned by a detailed business case and technical studies, including navigational simulations and environmental and geotechnical investigations.
In the EPA media release chair Darren Walsh said that following a recent public comment period, the independent authority had decided that the likely environmental effects of the proposal were not so significant or unmitigated as to warrant formal assessment under Part IV of the Environmental Protection Act 1986.
Mr Walsh said that while no submissions were received during the recent public comment period, the EPA had conducted its own inquiries.
“Cumulative impacts were considered to ensure the project would not affect marine environmental quality,” he said. “Given the short five-week duration and limited extent of dredging activities, no adverse long-term impacts to benthic habitats are expected in a cumulative context.”
Mr Walsh and several other EPA members visited Pilbara Port Authority operations last year and viewed the early modelling and analysis work being done on the bypass dredging proposal.
A report in The Australian newspaper said that BHP, Fortescue and Hancock Prospecting had agreed to pay for the 14-kilometre-long bypass channel.
The Australian report ;said the world’s biggest bulk export port would recoup costs through a charge to port users.
The project was mentioned last week in WA premier Roger Cook’s budget speech in which he said an additional $55m would be invested in the state’s ports, including the bypass channel, but Mr Skimming told The Australian that funding by port users would mean there would be no net capital cost to state or commonwealth governments.
Tenders for the dredging contract are being called, and Pilbara Ports did not expect any port disruptions.