Port of Townsville has engaged extensively with its community and key stakeholders across the 10 year planning phase of the Port Expansion Project.
The Townsville Port Channel Upgrade is a joint project of the Queensland and Australian Governments and Port of Townsville Limited. The Channel Upgrade forms part of the Townsville City Deal signed in December 2016.
The Port of Townsville is Northern Australia’s largest commercial port, but its shipping channel is one of the narrowest in Australia (92 metres). The narrow channel means that only ships of up to 238 metres in length can access the Port.
Ships are getting longer, so the Port needs to adapt so that it can accommodate those vessels and continue to meet the growing requirements of North Queensland.
The Townsville Port Channel Upgrade is a joint project of the Queensland and Australian Governments, and Port of Townsville Limited. The Channel Upgrade forms part of the Townsville City Deal signed in December 2016.
The Channel Upgrade Project will result in a wider shipping channel and the construction of a 62-hectare Port Reclamation Area.
The shipping channel will be widened to 180 metres at the inshore (Port) end, then taper to a width of 120 metres in the Sea Channel.
The Port Reclamation Area will be protected by a rock wall. All capital dredge material removed during channel widening will be transported to the mainland to be re-used in the construction of the Reclamation Area.
By 2023, cruise, commercial and naval vessels of up to 300 metres in length will be able to safely access the Port of Townsville. Before channel widening, the length of ships has been restricted to 238 metres.
Gaining environmental approvals for the Channel Upgrade Project has been a 12-year process, resulting in the Project being certified with the International Organisation for Standardisation ISO 14001:2015 – Environmental Management Certification.
An Environmental Impact Statement has been undertaken to evaluate any environmental impacts of channel widening works. This includes possible impacts from dredging on marine water quality. Extensive modelling and monitoring have informed the design, staging and method of construction to ensure minimal impacts to the environment.
The Channel Upgrade Project will be completed in compliance with Federal and State approvals that include extensive environmental and monitoring requirements. The environmental monitoring requirements for the project include:
Monitoring will be undertaken before, during and after construction and capital dredging activities so that the data accurately identifies any Project-related effects compared to natural conditions.
Four environmental Management Plans and an Offset Management Strategy will document key management controls that apply across all construction activities. These plans include:
These measures will ensure that the Project is completed in compliance with the Approval requirements and will meet the highest environmental standards.
Since its establishment in 1864, the Port of Townsville has continuously expanded in response to the growing needs of North Queensland. The latest evolution of the Port is the Port Expansion Project; the largest infrastructure project in which the Port has invested.
The Port Expansion Project is a 30-year development that will include six additional berths as well as a wider shipping channel. The project will be implemented in several stages to meet forecast trade demands.
The first stage of the Port Expansion Project is the five-year Channel Upgrade Project that will deliver a wider shipping channel and a 62 hectare Port Reclamation Area.
2018: Environmental approvals received.
Construction milestones will include:
2023: Channel widening completed. Vessels of up to 300 metres in length will be able to safely access the Port.
With a maximum width of 92 metres, Townsville’s shipping channel is one of the narrowest in Australia when compared to other commercial ports.
As vessels approach the Port through the shipping channel they slow down. As a vessel slows, the combined effects of weather and tidal conditions may cause it to travel at a slight angle. The longer the ship, the greater the risk that its bow or stern will impact with the side of the channel when it travels on an angle.
Widening the shipping channel to 180 metres at the inshore (Port) end, then tapering it to 120 metres in the Sea Channel, is an engineering solution that will reduce the risk of a longer vessel being grounded.
The channel will be widened using a combination of industry standard dredging equipment chosen to ensure minimal impact to the environment. The mechanical dredge is an excavator mounted onto a pontoon which removes the material from the sea bed and places it on a waiting barge. The barge then transports the material to the reclamation area. No capital dredge material is disposed of at sea.
The 14.9km Townsville shipping channel is made up of three sections; the Sea Channel and the Outer Platypus and Inner Platypus Channels. Platypus was the name of a dredge that operated in Cleveland Bay in the 1800s.
When capital dredging is underway, 60 percent will occur in the Inner Platypus Channel (within 3.5km of the inner harbour entrance). A further 30 percent will occur in the Outer Platypus Channel and 10 percent will occur in the Sea Channel.
No. The Townsville Port is located outside the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. In accordance with strict environmental conditions, all capital dredge material from widening of the channel widening will be transported to the Port to be used in the construction of the 62-hectare Port Reclamation Area. No capital dredge material will be deposited at sea or any other location.
Because of the narrow width of the shipping channel (92 metres), larger modern vessels are bypassing Townsville in favour of ports that can accommodate their size. This increases freight costs for North Queensland because the goods must be transported via rail or road over long distances from southern ports.
This causes delays and increases costs for North Queensland consumers. It also puts more pressure on our roads and the environment.
A wider channel will mean that more freight will be imported and exported through Townsville, thereby creating economic, employment and environmental benefits.
The Port of Townsville is committed to transparent communication with our community.
Project updates are published on our website, in the Townsville Bulletin, the Magnetic Community News as well as the Port’s Facebook and LinkedIn pages.
The Port also engages with a group of community representatives who are drawn from diverse backgrounds. This group is called the Community Liaison Group. Formed in March 2017, the group meets bi-monthly. Meeting minutes can be accessed on the Port website.
A Community and Stakeholder Engagement Plan (CSEP) can be downloaded from the Port website.
The Port also welcomes requests from community or industry groups to visit the Port and the Channel Upgrade site to meet members of the team and to learn more about the project.
Rock deliveries from local suppliers will come to the Port via the Port Access Road Monday to Saturday during daylight hours. Rock wall construction for the 62-ha Port Reclamation Area will also occur Monday to Saturday during daylight hours. Channel widening will occur 24 hours a day 7 days a week (weather permitting).
Lights and buoys will indicate safety exclusion zones near rock wall construction. Additionally, a traffic management plan for vessels will be implemented for channel widening.
The Channel Upgrade Project construction site cannot be accessed without authorisation. Any person entering the site must abide by site regulations, including Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
The channel widening will be completed by 2023. This includes one year to prepare the fully enclosed Port Reclamation Area that will be filled with capital dredge material.
When capital dredging is underway, 60 percent will occur in the Inner Platypus Channel (within 3.5km of the inner harbour entrance). A further 30 percent will occur in the Outer Platypus Channel and 10 percent will occur in the Sea Channel.
Capital dredging refers to the removal of previously undisturbed material from the seabed, e.g. during channel widening. Maintenance dredging usually occurs annually to remove fine sediment that has built up in the channel over a period of time.
All capital dredge material from channel widening will be transported to the mainland to be used in the construction of the 62-ha Port Reclamation Area. As has been the case since 1993, fine sediment removed as part of annual maintenance dredging will continue to be deposited at the approved location in deeper water approximately 15km off-shore.
Cleveland Bay is a large, shallow bay with most of it having a depth of less than 10 metres. The bay is naturally turbid. Various factors contribute to turbidity levels, including weather events, wind, tides, flooding, dredging, cyclones and sediment run-off from creeks and riverways as well as increased urbanisation. Sediment flowing from the Burdekin River has a significant impact on Cleveland Bay.
Water-quality monitoring undertaken in Cleveland Bay shows that the greatest influence on turbidity in the bay is wind-driven waves.
The Channel Upgrade Project will be carried out in accordance with a stringent Construction Environmental Management Plan (CEMP) which sets out controls and safeguards that have been developed to meet the environmental approval requirements.
The widening of the channel and harbour works will be governed by permits and approvals from a range of Commonwealth and Queensland government agencies (the ‘Regulators’). These Regulators will set conditions for the project and also monitor and enforce compliance with these conditions.
The members of an Independent Technical Advisory Committee (ITAC) from across Australia provide independent scientific and technical advice in relation to the development and implementation of environmental monitoring programs and the Channel Upgrade Project’s Dredge Management Plan.
The ITAC is comprised of an Independent Chair as well as technical / scientific specialists covering the following fields:
The Townsville Port Community Liaison Group (CLG) also provides ongoing community input to the project.
The project will support approximately 120 direct jobs. In addition, 40 people are employed by local rock suppliers to meet the requirements of the project.
POTL has a longstanding policy of supporting local businesses wherever possible, and this project will continue that practice. Additionally, the project aligns its procurement practices with Queensland Government procurement policies, and local weightings apply to all tenders. Tenders for the Channel Upgrade Project are advertised on Qld QTenders.
The $193 million funding for the Channel Upgrade project has been provided by the State and Federal Governments and Port of Townsville Ltd.