Dredging, a vital process for economic success
Australia has always been a maritime-trade dependent country and will be for the imaginable future. Therefore, our ports and their associated infrastructure are of significant economic and social importance. In order to maximise the use and productivity of our ports it is essential that we have a clear and concise understanding of factors that affect the available depth not only for maximising draft but also for the safety of vessels, personnel and the environment.
Port expansions have been proposed to meet the increasing needs of the mining and resource sectors. This involves significant dredging operations to create new shipping channels and berth areas to facilitate the transfer of commodities, and to ensure projected increases in the magnitude of shipping activities. Similarly, the regular maintenance dredging requirements of ports, both now and in the future, are an important factor in the consideration of improved management of these waterways.
Without dredging, channels would silt up and commercial ships could not carry full loads. The cost of importing and exporting goods would increase and eventually the additional costs would be borne by the community. If shipping channels are not deep enough, other risks increase such as those relating to ship safety and environment incidents such as groundings and oil spills.
Read the full text article here.
This article was printed in Australian Ports Newspaper April 2015 edition. Read other PHS case studies here.
PHS 'meet up'
The PHS team and their partners enjoyed a lovely dinner at the Red Ochre Grill, Adelaide. The catch up was a chance for all staff to relax and enjoy each other's company after several busy months working on projects in Dampier and Port Hedland.
Our encounter with humpback whales
PHS completed a hydrographic survey campaign in support of dredging, Dynamic Under Keel Clearance (DUKC ™) and general navigational safety where decimetre bathymetry was critical to both navigational safety and the ports enhanced efficiency. Using state of the art equipment and thorough GNSS height reduction survey methodology resulted in some outstanding results with some UNEXPECTED encounters. Read more and see images here.
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