BMT JFA Consultants has successfully completed a series of long-term engineering consultancy services for the Southdown Magnetite Project in Australia, culminating in a major marine works feasibility study in 2011.

The Southdown project is a joint venture between Grange Resources (Grange) and Sojitz Resources & Technology (Sojitz) and encompasses the development of an iron ore (magnetite) open pit mining operation located 90 kilometres north-east of the Port of Albany in Western Australia. The Port of Albany will be expanded to include a new berth for the export of 10 million tonnes per annum of magnetite concentrate using large CapeClass vessels.

BMT JFA Consultants, a subsidiary of international consultancy BMT Group, has been involved with the project since its inception in 2005 with the early collection of preliminary site data, including metocean, seismic surveys and geotechnical drilling investigations. This was followed by initial design studies to define the marine engineering requirements for the project, including dredging, land reclamation and berth development which, in turn, assisted progress of the application and successful granting of the necessary environmental approvals for the project.

During 2010 BMT JFA Consultants provided a peer review of pre-feasibility concept designs and in 2011 it was directly engaged by Southdown Joint Venture (SDJV) to undertake the feasibility study for the port expansion marine works. The project’s scope includes the construction of approximately 1,000 metres of rock seawall enclosing an area of approximately seven hectares to be reclaimed using dredged material, to create land for concentrate dewatering, stockpile and ship-loading facilities. Adjacent to the seawall a piled wharf, 270 metres in length, will be constructed to support the ship loader. The existing channel into the port will be extended approximately six kilometres offshore and increased in depth and width to accommodate the larger vessels.

During the feasibility study, BMT JFA Consultants managed the planning and supervision of a number of field investigations to better understand the geotechnical and metocean characteristics of the site, including offshore geotechnical drilling of dredging areas, magnetometer and diver surveys for identification of potential unexploded ordnance (munitions) and deployment of wave and current monitoring instruments. Other key studies managed or undertaken directly by BMT JFA Consultants included under keel clearance studies, vessel pilotage simulation, dredge productivity modelling and port traffic simulation studies. Outcomes from these studies were incorporated into the development and refinement of engineering designs for the seawall, wharf, channel design and dredging.

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