Bandy Creek Dredging Completed

Larger commercial fishing, charter industry and recreational vessels now have safe access to Bandy Creek Boat Harbor after the success of an innovative dredging method trialed at the Department of Transport (DoT) facility.

DoT Coastal Infrastructure General Manager, Steve Jenkins, said that the recent routine maintenance dredging operation, costing $1.1 million and undertaken every two years, had seen a total of 86,000 cubic meters of material removed from the harbor entrance, fairway and basin areas.

“DoT contractor CGC Dredging modified its dredge vessel Cooper II specifically for the Bandy Creek dredging campaign which resulted in the second largest quantity of material dredged at the facility since its construction in 1983,” Mr Jenkins said.

The trial method involved the dredge using five anchors to greatly increase its ability to work through the persistent swell encountered in the critical but exposed harbor entrance area.

“As a result, the harbor entrance mouth was successfully dredged to double the depth it was prior to the works, providing safe access for larger vessels and enhanced capacity by limiting problems with future siltation,” Mr Jenkins said.

Mr Jenkins said that the time and cost savings achieved in dredging in the harbor entrance areas made it possible to target some areas in the upper reaches of the harbor, including the commercial slipway, which had not been dredged for many years.

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