Fortescue Metals completes its $2.6 billion Port Hedland export facility expansion, lifting capacity to 155mtpa
By Allan Jackson
| August 16, 2013
Fortescue Metals has completed its $2.6 billion Port Hedland export facility expansion, lifting capacity to 155 million tonnes per annum.
Western Australia Treasurer and Minister for Transport Troy Buswell rhis week officially opened
the iron ore
producer’s
fourth berth at Herb Elliott Port, representing the last major component of
its expansion project.
It takes Fortescue another crucial step closer to concluding a $9.8 billion expansion program aimed at tripling production capacity across its mine, port and rail operations by the end of calendar year 2013.
Fortescue Chief Executive Officer Nev Power (pictured) says the dedication and commitment of Fortescue’s development team and its contracting partners, including WorleyParsons, which was awarded the engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) contract in April 2011, meant the port expansion was completed within Fortescue’s revised schedule and under budget.
“Today, we’ve taken a significant step towards the completion of our expansion to 155 million tonnes per annum,” Power says.
“Our world-class infrastructure at Herb Elliott Port will support a substantial increase in shipments of ore from our Pilbara operations to customers in China and South East Asia.
“We’re only months away from completing the final leg of our expansion, the construction of our 40 mtpa Kings mine at Solomon,” he says.
Fortescue’s port expansion
project included the construction of two new berths, a second and third outloading and inloading circuit, two shiploaders, two reclaimers, one stacker, two train unloaders, 15.5 kilometres of conveyor systems, transfer stations, drive stations, two sample stations, power and control systems and associated infrastructure.
Chairman Andrew Forrest
adds the fourth berth has been named the Nick Sexton Berth after a much loved member of the Fortescue family.
Sexton Berth, who played a vital role in the development of Fortescue’s port facilities, passed away earlier this year.
Fortescue will utilise its priority allocation and available D class capacity at the port to export 155mtpa.
Since
the miner
loaded its first commercial shipment of iron ore for delivery to Baosteel in 2008, the company has exported more than 250 million tonnes to customers in China and South East Asia, including in excess of 11 million tonnes for third parties.
More than six million hours were spent constructing the two new berths for the expansion to 155mtpa with only one lost time injury during this period.
It has resulted in a total lost time injury frequency rate (LTIFR) of 0.15, well below the Western Australian average.
Fortescue has now received approval to construct a fifth berth at Herb Elliott Port, which will allow the company to further develop its highly successful and efficient lay-by berth configuration.
The company expects to begin the construction of the new berth later this year.