This was a critical infrastructure project for the Port of Newcastle – one of Australia’s most diverse regional ports and one of the world’s largest coal export ports – with approximately 2,000 ship visits annually. The port provides major economic benefits to the city, region and New South Wales.

BG&E provided structural engineering services which included designing a 90-metre temporary jetty structure to facilitate the construction of a new 550-metre coal export wharf.

The structure was entirely steel framed with a precast concrete deck and was modulated in 7.5 metre bays that could be detached from one end and moved to the other, as the piling works for the permanent structure progressed upstream.

Our technical team prepared the steel and precast concrete (deck) fabrication drawings for the structure, which provided our client with the flexibility to make design changes in real time, thereby reducing the construction programme considerably, as the design and shop detailing were combined into a single process.

A 3D model was also produced which enabled the construction team to visualise the design and consider how they were going to build the jetty, and access and install bolts, in constrained conditions while adhering to safe working practices.