Gladstone Port

The Port of Gladstone is Queensland’s largest multi commodity port, handling over 30 different products, of which coal accounts for approximately 70% of the Port’s throughput. Douglas Partners has been conducting geotechnical and environmental investigations and providing advice to the Ports authorities since 1999.

The Port of Gladstone is located 440 km north of Brisbane (as the crow flies) and 690 km south of Townsville, the two bases chosen by Douglas Partners (from our 5 Queensland branches) to service the various on site requirements. The range of geotechnical and environmental services (including acid sulfate soilsprovided for the Port covered the following facilities and locations:

Facilities:

rail loops, coal stockpiles, conveyor systems and transfer towers, bridges, dump stations, mobile equipment workshops, sea walls, shipping berths, jetties, mooring dolphins, capital and maintenance dredging works, navigation light towers, onshore dredged disposal containments.

Locations:

RG Tanna Coal Terminal, Wiggins Island Coal Terminal, Main Shipping Channels, Fisherman’s Landing, Calliope River Rail Bridge.

Douglas Partners’ Managing Principal and Senior Geotechnical Engineer, Ken Boddie, who has personally been involved in many of these previous works, advises that “Douglas Partners’ varied and prolonged experience in a range of industrial subsurface investigations throughout the Gladstone area, for the Port authority and other industrial clients, their planners and designers, has allowed us to develop a good understanding of the difficult and often challenging soil and rock conditions to be found in the coastal plain and adjacent hills around Gladstone, and to provide practical advice on anticipated ground behaviour, geomechanical properties and ground improvement techniques.”

Drilling near mangroves.