PORT of Devonport has received a thousand-tonne shipment of construction material for the QuayLink project.
General cargo vessel Parkgracht is delivering 50 steel piles to the port, weighing up to 19 tonnes each.
The piles, ranging from 12 to 33 metres in length, are to be installed in the Devonport riverbed to form the “legs” of the new wharf.
TasPorts chief operating officer Stephen Casey said the installation of the piles would be the noisiest element of the $240-million QuayLink project, with the steel structures being driven into the riverbed using industrial hammers.
“The pile driving will be carried out by TasPorts contractors, Hazell Brady joint Venture, using a piling rig working from a large floating barge,” Mr Casey said.
He said the works would be undertaken in accordance with TasPorts’ environmental standard relating to noise and ensuring minimal disruption to the community.
“A crane will also be positioned on the barge and will be used for lifting the piles.
“The steel piles are protected against corrosion using an innovative fusion bonded epoxy coating system that TasPorts has adopted for the protection system, and which offers significant durability enhancements and lower ongoing maintenance requirements.”
Mr Casey said the contractors have nearly completed the dredge works required prior to commencing installation of the piles.
“The pile driving work will commence in the coming months and this package of works will be completed by mid-2024.”
