DREDGING and reclamation works for Port of Devonport’s QuayLink project have reached the half-way mark.
TasPorts and Tasmanian government representatives shared an update on the project during a tour of the construction site.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff, infrastructure and transport minister Michael Ferguson and Devonport mayor Alison Jarman visited the site on Monday (3 April).
Mr Rockcliff expects project to increase Bass Strait freight capacity by 40% when the upgraded Port of Devonport opens in 2027.
He said it represents the largest wharf infrastructure upgrades for Tasmania in 27 years.
“This $240 million project is a once-in-a-generation development and will future-proof Devonport as a tourism and freight gateway for the next 50 years,” he said.
Mr Ferguson said the project addresses existing capacity constraints and “unlocks a billion-dollar investment” in shipping companies seeking to invest in larger, more efficient vessels to meet growth and demand.
“TasPorts contractors, the Hazell Brady Joint Venture, is more than halfway through the dredge and reclaim,” Mr Ferguson said.
“They will then construct a state-of-the-art wharf for the next generation of Spirit vessels.”
On the cruise front, an additional 160,000 passengers are expected to enter Devonport each year once the project is complete, adding an estimated $200 million to tourism expenditure across the state.
TasPorts said it has directly engaged more than 30 Tasmanian businesses since January for works such as crane hire, electrical, diving, reinforcing, surveying, marine, civil contractors, welding, earth moving, plumbing and waste management.
