Contractor chosen for wharf project

A contractor has been selected for a $24 million project designed to extend the operating life of the 1960s constructed Port of Broome wharf.

Kimberley Ports Authority (KPA) has appointed York Civil Pty Ltd (York Civil) to carry out the renovation.

Design works have commenced and construction expected to begin in late 2015 with completion expected by the end of 2016.

The works will be carried out in a way which minimises the impact on port services.

The project is funded through the State Government.

KPA chairman Laurie Shervington said the funding would allow KPA to continue to facilitate trade through the Kimberley, benefitting the people of WA and port users.

York Civil has been appointed to deliver the design and construct upgrade, which will provide additional structural capacity and an extended working life.

The Port of Broome is the principal deep water port servicing the Kimberley region.

It serves as a major logistics hub to oil and gas fields in the Browse Basin.

The jetty will not close while the work is undertaken in an effort to minimise the impact operations supporting the region.

“The wharf is an integral part of the Kimberley economy,” Mr Schellack said.

“Consequently it was important that the design and construction methodology selected, minimises interruption to port users.

“York Civil’s proposal should allow KPA to achieve this goal.”

York Civil state manager Dallas Keane said the company had undertaken similar works on operational ports and wharves in the past.

“We understand the importance of maintaining operations as much as possible, so we will be consulting regularly with KPA so that they can keep port users informed and, wherever possible, work together to find opportunities to minimise impact on port operations,” he said.

Mr Keane said York Civil aimed to resource various aspects of the works, using local labour, services and contractors.