Dredging starts on Port Botany expansion

A silt curtain is being installed around the area where dredging is being done to confine sediment and to protect the wider Botany Bay environment. A cutter suction dredge from Belgium, the Nu Bounty, will be used during the initial stages of dredging. The vessel is 50 m in length, 10 m in width and has the capability to dredge to a depth of 22 m below water.

The Nu Bounty will reclaim an area between the existing Brotherson dock and the end of the third runway adjacent to the Patricks terminal. A concrete precast facility will be built in this area later in the year. From early 2009 a larger dredging vessel will complete the dredging activities.

“The expansion of Port Botany is one of the largest infrastructure projects being undertaken in Australia and an important component of the Iemma Government’s plans for the economic growth of NSW. Protecting the environment and reducing disruption to recreational bay users will be a priority with the entire expansion project,” Mr Tripodi said.