At the yearly convention of the industry organisations Australian Constructors Association and Engineers Australia, Jan De Nul NV together with its local partner Baulderstone received the prestigious “Australian Construction Achievement Award 2012”.
The Port Botany Expansion Project of the Joint Venture Baulderstone – Jan De Nul NV was chosen over 6 other strong contenders as the most outstanding example of construction excellence. The project – worth EUR 400 million – involved the design and construction of the expansion of Port Botany in Sydney. In total, 60 hectares of land was reclaimed from the sea, 1.85 kilometres of new deep water berths were constructed, and a new shipping channel was dredged. The project is considered to be the most significant port infrastructure project in Australia for over 30 years.
The work was praised because of the engineering ingenuity with which the quay wall was constructed. In total some 200 concrete counterfort units, of 640 ton each, were constructed on site, transported overland and then manoeuvred into position with centimetre precision using a purpose built shear leg barge. The coordination between this construction phase and the dredging and reclamation works was a challenging endeavour. In addition, the works had to be performed within the very strict environmental guidelines set by the client and the regulators.
It’s the first time that a Belgian company was awarded this prominent Australian award. Also the customer, Sydney Ports Corp, is elated that their project was the winner of this award.
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Source: JAN DE NUL GROUP, May 24, 2012; Image: ACAA