The Esperance Port Authority undertook major development work that allowed it to deepen its existing berths to – 14.5 m CD and provide an additional berth at –19 m CD capable of accommodating vessels of 180,000 dwt.
The proposal to load Panamax size vessels at the existing wharfs and construct a new wharf for Cape size vessels necessitated a re-design of the harbour basin and channel to optimise on underkeel clearances and overall geometry.
Material dredged from the harbour and channel was discharged directly to a 22 Hectare reclamation area to provide for future development, the first facility being a 220 x 65 m, 300 000 T capacity iron ore storage shed.
The reclamation area is protected by a new seawall, with provision made to trap longshore drift material before it enters the deepened channel.
As part of the project team, we received an Institution of Engineers Award for excellence (environmental) for the project.
We prepared a business plan for the new offshore multi-user port development in Abu Dhabi, involving staged construction of facilities from initial operations in 2010 to full development by 2028.
We carried out comprehensive oceanographic modelling to develop the design conditions at various mooring sites in Dampier port and Mermaid Sound.
We identified the optimal layout, detailed road and rail networks, dredging and reclamation requirements and numerical wave modelling of the preferred concepts.
With improved port capacity and quality available at Shenzhen and other Pearl River Delta ports, as well as the increasing competitiveness of supporting services such as ship management, ship finance and maritime arbitration in Shanghai and Singapore, Hong Kong will need to improve and evolve port and maritime services to increase market share in future years.