Townsville contractor CivilPlus Constructions has been awarded the design and construct tender for the primary wharf works component of Port of Townsville’s $55 million Berth 4 Upgrade project.
Queensland treasurer Curtis Pitt said the work, which is expected to support 100 jobs and take around 18 months, will be undertaken locally by CivilPlus and employ local people.
“The sooner we get projects like this off the ground, the sooner we can generate more employment opportunities for Queenslanders,” Mr Pitt said.
The upgrade to Berth 4 will increase capacity at the Port of Townsville to ensure it can accommodate projected trade growth.
CivilPlus Constructions has been operating since 2004 with expertise in the civil and marine infrastructure sector. The directors of CivilPlus Constructions, Scott Ironside and Richard Lamb were both born and bred in Townsville.
Port of Townsville Chief Executive Officer Ranee Crosby said that the quality of tender submissions had been very high and she was pleased that a local business had been successful with its highly competitive bid.
“The upgrade will double the capacity of Berth 4, allowing for an additional two million tonnes of product a year,” Ms Crosby said.
“The upgrade will also improve cargo movement through the use of modern handling equipment and improved intermodal transfer of cargo to road and rail,” she said.
Marketing and Communications Executive at the Townsville Port Sharon Hoops said once upgraded Berth 4 will also allow for cattle live export shipments.
“Once the trucking logistics are worked out, cattle will be able to be loaded and shipped out of the upgraded berth,” Ms Hoops said.
Construction is expected to commence next month, with the upgraded facility expected to start operating in late 2017.