"Multi Award Winning" Utah Point Multi-User Bulk Export Facility
Client: Port Hedland Port Authority
Contract Value: $10 million
Completion: October 2010
Location: Port Hedland, WA
In terms of the bulk tonnage of cargo handled, Port Hedland is the busiest port in Australia. Almost all of its trade is in crushed ore and minerals such as copper, magnetite, manganese and chromite. With the exponential growth in demand for these resources, the Port Hedland Port Authority decided to implement plans to construct a new multi-user berth and bulk handling facility at Utah Point on Finucane Island just west of the town. This facility will be used primarily by a number of small to medium sized resources companies.
The 27 ha Crown Land site comprised limestone, mangrove shoreline and mud. Following a number of site investigations, including an environmental assessment, VDM Consulting was initially commissioned to prepare a complex suite of documents which would define the project’s many facets and identify the most appropriate and innovative methods of bringing the project to fruition.
VDM Consulting produced a series of ‘ready for construction’ design documents identifying precisely all aspects of the project including civil and structural engineering, mechanical services, construction methods, environmental safety, electrical installations and controls systems.
Project components
The Utah Point Bulk Loading Facility project is made up of four major elements; the berth, a stockpile area, access roads, operational facilities and infrastructure.
The berth
One of VDM Consulting's core competencies is marine structural design. The company, which has been involved in this specialised area for more than 35 years, proposed a single-berth wharf designed to accept Panamax and Small Cape Vessels up to 120,000 tonnes. State-of-the-art mooring systems were incorporated to ensure ships can be docked and released within minutes. They also have the capacity to hold ships in place during loading, despite the 7.5 metre tidal range.
The berth’s design was the first of its kind in Australia and significant innovation was required to overcome technical constraints. The berth pocket had to be dredged to within metres of a personnel and ore conveyor tunnel which runs under the harbour. Innovative solutions were developed by VDM to achieve the stringent durability requirements, resulting in a low maintenance facility for its entire design life.
The stockyard
The stockyard, which is approximately one kilometre in length and 210 metres wide, has been built over an area which was largely mangrove forest. VDM’s solution was to ‘float’ high-tensile plastic mesh over marine mud that was up to 2.5 metres deep.
The stockyard was designed for multiple users so there are 13 individual stockpile areas with a total capacity to store 910 kilotons of product. The heavy metals are concentrated in a particular area of the stockyard which has been specially designed to contain any possible leaching. A major consideration with stockpiling minerals is the risk of water running off the stockpiles and contaminating surrounding fresh water and marine environments. VDM developed a system which retains all rainwater runoff within the stockyard so it can be recycled or filtered and released.
The load-out facility
The load-out facility has a capacity of 7,500 tonnes per hour and can operate day and night with an in-feed rate of one quad road transporter every six minutes which equates to 18 million tonnes per annum. The exceptional speed and efficiency of the load out facility is a direct result of VDM Consulting’s innovative design.
Unlike most recently commissioned ship load-out facilities which are imported, the Utah load-out facility contracts were awarded to a collective of local companies so it could be commissioned, fabricated and erected in Western Australia.
The overall facility is capable of processing a range of minerals from iron ore to heavy metals such as chromite and manganese, and a range of ore consistencies from particle sludge to gravel.
The stockyard load-out facility has two mobile hopper trains which traverse the spine of the stockyard allowing different stockpiles to be loaded out effectively and efficiently at the same time. The hopper trains are fully equipped to handle three loaders and are complete with their own dust suppression and electrical systems.
The access roads
The new bulk loading facility required a seven kilometre access road, an additional two kilometre perimeter road around the stockyard and an access road from the stockyard to the wharf.
Operational facilities and infrastructure design
VDM was also responsible for the design of office accommodation, a mobile plant workshop, a fixed plant workshop, fuel depot, an emergency services centre and other general facilities such as a canteen, kitchen and ablution facilities.
The Utah Point Bulk Loading Facility was completed ahead of schedule and declared open in October 2010. The first trial shipment was made on September 17, 2010 as part of the commissioning process. As a genuine multi-user facility it provides the Pilbara's junior miners with greater freedom to build mines without relying on deals with major infrastructure owners to transport and export their product.
The relocation of the existing stockpiled manganese and chromite ore from the east side of the port to Utah Point has resulted in a reduction in dust levels in the west end of Port Hedland.
VDM Proudly Part of Multi Award Winning Utah Point Multi-User Bulk Export Facility
Pinc Group and the Port Hedland Port Authority (PHPA) were awarded two national awards for the Utah Point Mutli-User Bulk Export Facility which VDM proudly played a part in:
- National Engineering Excellence Award 2011
- Australian Shipping and Maritime Industry Awards - Environmental Transport Category
The National Engineering Excellence Award was presented to six projects from a field of 50 entrances across all Australian states and territories and follows the award won by Pinc/PHPA from the WA Engineering Excellence Award for Resource Development.
"These awards would never have been achieved without the quality of engineering design by VDM" stated Neil Parker, Managing Director of Pinc.
