The material will then be pumped from the dredge into the enclosed Rous Head reclamation area via the pipeline.

Fremantle Ports Chief Executive Officer, Chris Leatt-Hayter said the project would be undertaken with strict monitoring and safeguards in place to minimise any impacts. 

Independent monitoring of water, sediments and mussels would continue throughout the dredging and beyond, with results regularly reported to the Environmental Protection Authority and Fremantle Ports.

The results of the monitoring would be available on the Fremantle Ports website in Environmental Monitoring, along with regular aerial photographs of the dredging operations.

Fremantle Ports’ Inner Harbour deepening project was the subject of a rigorous Public Environmental Review and assessment by the Environmental Protection Authority, Department of Environment and Conservation and other agencies.

The project was approved by the Western Australian Minister for the Environment in August this year. 

It is expected to have minimal impact on metropolitan beaches.

Chris Leatt-Hayter said that based on previous experience and the controls in place for this project, Fremantle Ports expected any plumes to be localised around the dredging operation and dredge material placement areas.

Most of the dredged material would be reused for land reclamation at Rous Head and would be placed into a fully enclosed seawall with an inner geotextile lining. Silt curtains placed around the return water outfall would further minimise turbidity.

Fremantle Port, which handles about $25 billion in trade annually, is critically important infrastructure for Western Australia.

Chris Leatt-Hayter said deepening the Inner Harbour and approach channels was essential to accommodate the larger, more efficient container ships now coming to Australia.