Mr ADAMSON - 1996-05-14
I understand a substantial contract has been let for the new East Arm port. Will the minister detail this contract and confirm if the construction timetable and cost of this project are on track?
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ANSWER
Mr Speaker, the biggest contract ever let by the NT government has been awarded to a consortium for the construction of wharf facilities at the East Arm port project. The consortium, made up of Barclay Mowlem, Thiess and Western Constructions, has been awarded the $33.9m contract ahead of 4 other bidders. The contract is a significant step in the development of Darwin as northern Australia's transport hub. It involves the design and construction of a 490 m, fully land- backed wharf and the dredging of 47 000 m3 to provide approach channels and a swing basin.
The design-and-construct type of tender has allowed the Territory government to access some of the most innovative construction techniques in the world. With sheet-pile, fully land-backed construction, the front of the wharf is solid steel with earth fill supporting the entire structure. The advantage of the land-backed, sheet-pile structure is the flexibility it affords over more conventional, suspended-deck structures. This construction method means heavy point loadings are less critical and the deck is more easily maintained. The original tender called for the construction of a 300 m general-purpose berth and an 80 m bulk liquids berth separated by a 110 m gap, but it encouraged alternatives. The government has now been offered these wharves plus the infill of the 110 m gap and full land access to the bund. This has significant operational advantages and is evidence of the advantages of the design-and-construct approach for this project. The dredging work in the contract will be carried out by one of the largest dredges in the world and will produce a swing basin with a minimum depth of 12 m and a 14 m deep berthing pocket. This will permit vessels of up to 1000 deadweight tonnes access to the port.
It is the third major contract of the $75m first stage of the project, which is on target to meet the planned operational date of December 1997. When complete, the East Arm port will be a model for the region and a vital piece of Australia's transport infrastructure. I congratulate my Department of Transport and Works, the contractors, the consultants, the Department of Mines and Energy and the Power and Water Authority, all of whom have been recently recognised as the winners of the Australian Earth award for the environmental sensitivity that this project displayed, in a competition that was contested by 33 other major civil works contracts or projects in Australia.
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Page 1331
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, the biggest contract ever let by the NT government has been awarded to a consortium for the construction of wharf facilities at the East Arm port project. The consortium, made up of Barclay Mowlem, Thiess and Western Constructions, has been awarded the $33.9m contract ahead of 4 other bidders. The contract is a significant step in the development of Darwin as northern Australia's transport hub. It involves the design and construction of a 490 m, fully land- backed wharf and the dredging of 47 000 m3 to provide approach channels and a swing basin.
The design-and-construct type of tender has allowed the Territory government to access some of the most innovative construction techniques in the world. With sheet-pile, fully land-backed construction, the front of the wharf is solid steel with earth fill supporting the entire structure. The advantage of the land-backed, sheet-pile structure is the flexibility it affords over more conventional, suspended-deck structures. This construction method means heavy point loadings are less critical and the deck is more easily maintained. The original tender called for the construction of a 300 m general-purpose berth and an 80 m bulk liquids berth separated by a 110 m gap, but it encouraged alternatives. The government has now been offered these wharves plus the infill of the 110 m gap and full land access to the bund. This has significant operational advantages and is evidence of the advantages of the design-and-construct approach for this project. The dredging work in the contract will be carried out by one of the largest dredges in the world and will produce a swing basin with a minimum depth of 12 m and a 14 m deep berthing pocket. This will permit vessels of up to 1000 deadweight tonnes access to the port.
It is the third major contract of the $75m first stage of the project, which is on target to meet the planned operational date of December 1997. When complete, the East Arm port will be a model for the region and a vital piece of Australia's transport infrastructure. I congratulate my Department of Transport and Works, the contractors, the consultants, the Department of Mines and Energy and the Power and Water Authority, all of whom have been recently recognised as the winners of the Australian Earth award for the environmental sensitivity that this project displayed, in a competition that was contested by 33 other major civil works contracts or projects in Australia.
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Last updated: 09 Aug 2016