Customer: BCI Minerals Contract: Early Contractor Involvement Location: Pilbara, Western Australia

Fast Facts 2.4 km long jetty with berthing and mooring dolphins materials handling conveyor system and shiploader non-process infrastructure and ancilliary equipment

McConnell Dowell was awarded the marine structures design and construction contract for BCI Minerals’ Mardie Salt & Potash Project in Western Australia.

The Mardie Project represents a rare, sustainable opportunity to develop a large-scale, solar evaporation operation on the Pilbara coast. Capacity of the facility once complete is estimated to be 5.35 million tonnes per annum of high purity salt and 140,000 tonnes per annum of sulphate of potash, over an operating life of at least 60 years.

The marine structures package is the largest capital works contract for the Project and McConnell Dowell’s scope of work includes the design, supply, fabrication, construction, installation, testing and commissioning of:

• a piled 2.4 km jetty structure with head-end platform, berthing and mooring dolphins. Construction will involve anchoring to the ocean floor more than 200 steel piles, each up to 30 metres long and weighing a combined 3,800 tonnes.
• a materials handling conveying system including shiploader.
• non-process infrastructure comprising fire suppression equipment, employee amenities, fixed crane, channel markers and other navigation aids.
• ancillary equipment, including security gates, CCTV, lighting, outfall pipe on jetty, diffuser, and emergency boat launcher.

The awarded followed a competitive four-month Early Contractor Involvement process.