Almost one million cubic metres of sediment will be pumped from the dredger into the pipeline and delivered to the Northern Sands Dredge Material Placement Area.
Dredging works are expected to start early next month and be completed around mid-September, accomplishing a plan first mooted back in 2012.
900 thousand cubic metres of the soft clay dredged from the inlet will go to the quarry site, while the remaining 100 thousand cubic metres will be used to build up industrial land at Portsmith.
It's all aimed at widening and deepening the existing outer and inner shipping channels and Crystal swing basin, located directly off the Cairns Cruise Liner Terminal.
The expansion will allow for vessels up to 300 metres to enter and dock in Trinity Inlet, with a forecast demand of up to 150 cruise ships through the Port of Cairns by 2031.
A new swing basin will also be established to enable the future expansion of the Navy base HMAS Cairns.
A DANISH dredging vessel has arrived in Far North Queensland in preparation to start pumping up to a million cubic metres of sludge and sand for the Cairns Shipping Development.
The $127 million project to deepen and widen the Trinity Inlet shipping channel is set to start early next month and finish in mid-September.
Construction is already well under way for about 8km of pipelines required to pump the dredge spoil to its final resting place on land — as opposed to its usual on-water placement.
However until now there has been no sign of the dredging vessel tasked with carrying out the bulk of the work.
Suction hopper dredge Balder R is now moored in the Port of Cairns awaiting the start of work early next month.
The 2011-built vessel owned by Denmark company Rohde Nielsen A/S arrived in Cairns by way of Singapore, and was previously stationed in Sri Lankan capital Colombo.
It was based in the Gold Coast in 2017 carrying out a $13.9 million program to replenish the Glitter Strip’s coastline when it broke down twice.
On that project, it was not encumbered by the added complexities of pumping the spoil through a long series of pipes on to land.
It showed in the final price.
The $13.9 million Gold Coast project involved dredging about three million cubic metres of sand — three times as much dredge spoil for about 8 per cent of the Cairns Shipping Development cost.
Cairns’ $127 million Shipping Development is one step closer to unlocking a tourism bonanza for the region with works now underway to deepen Trinity Inlet and make it ready for bigger vessels.
Assistant Treasurer, Glenn Butcher MP, who visited the port last week, said that the 111m-long, German-built dredging ship Balder R began its task on the weekend to open up the inlet for large cruise ships after a successful stint at dredging sand for the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.
“The Cairns Shipping Development is the key to unlocking a whole new tourism and jobs market for the Far North,” Mr Butcher said. “Already we’re seeing this project create 800 direct and indirect jobs during construction, and by 2031 it’ll mean more than 2,700 jobs for the region.”
Under the project, the dredger will remove soft clays from the channel, which will then be delivered to a facility 3km offshore and pumped along an 8km pipeline to a dedicated site at the Northern Sands mine.
Dredging is expected to take 12 weeks and be complete mid-September, with second dredger Woomera scheduled to join the works in late July. The 65m Woomera will be used to remove the stiff clays from the channel.
Member for Cairns, Michael Healy MP, added that the Cairns Shipping Development would mean for the very first time, cruise ships up to 300m in length would be able to enter the Cairns Port, bringing with them thousands of tourists ready to spend their money on local businesses and experiences.
About the Balder R
Balder R is owned by Danish company Rohde Nielsen. It was specially designed to work in shallow water around the world and is considered one of the most versatile vessels of its kind.
Built in Germany in 2011, Balder R is 111.30 meter in length overall, with a breadth of 19.40 meter and has a 6000 cubic meter carrying capacity.
The vessel is highly maneuverable and energy efficient and has state-of-the-art environmental systems to ensure the protection of sea flora and fauna.
The second stage of the Cairns Shipping Development Project officially started today with the arrival of the backhoe dredger Woomera, which will soon begin clearing the hard clays from the Trinity Inlet.
The 111m-long, German-built dredging vessel Balder R began its task on July 1 to open up the inlet for large cruise ships after a successful stint at dredging sand for the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.
Under this capital development project, the dredgers will remove material from the channel, which will then be delivered to a facility 3km offshore and pumped along an 8km pipeline to a dedicated site at the Northern Sands mine.
Member for Cairns, Michael Healy MP, said that the Cairns Shipping Development would mean that for the very first time, cruise ships up to 300m in length would be able to enter the Cairns Port.
Dredging works are expected to be complete mid-September.
