Port Plans Maintenance Dredging Program

Port Plans Maintenance Dredging Program

Port of Melbourne Corporation (PoMC) will commence maintenance dredging no earlier than Friday, 13 November in the Yarra and Maribyrnong Rivers and Hobsons Bay.

This program is part of a regular maintenance dredging regime designed to remove a build up of silt enabling ships to berth and manoeuvre with sufficient under keel clearance to the bottom of the vessel.

"This program will involve dredging adjacent to several berths and berth approaches within the Yarra and Maribyrnong Rivers, Webb Dock, Ann Street Pier and also along the northern section of the channel leading to Station Pier within Hobsons Bay," said Stephen Bradford, Chief Executive Officer of the PoMC.

The program will require a staged process with the initial dredging component requiring approximately 34 weeks and capping to be completed by the end of April 2011. This planned maintenance activity is not part of the Channel Deepening Project.

The amount of material to be removed is approximately 300,000 cubic metres, along with sand to be dredged from the South East Dredged Material Ground and placed in the Port of Melbourne Dredged Material Ground (PoM DMG).

The equipment to be used will be a small backhoe dredge for the material in the north of Port Phillip Bay and a Trailing Suction Hopper Dredge (TSHD) for the dredging of clean sand and capping of contaminated material via a spreader attached to the TSHD.

The campaign is expected to provide minimal impact to any users of the proposed sites listed above.

The program will be guided by strict Environmental Management Plan controls. Consent for the routine works has been granted by the relevant local, state and federal government agencies.

For more information contact:
Name: Mark Kestigian
Mobile: +61 (0)419 577 040

SOURCE: Port of Melbourne Corporation