The Inner Harbour deepening and berth works project was completed in April 2011. The final works were sheet piling work on North Quay berths and removal of remaining limestone from the berth pockets in late March and early April 2011.
The project, which began in April 2009, involved deepening the Inner Harbour, Entrance Channel and Deepwater Channel, construction of an extension to the Rous Head seawall and reclamation of 27 hectares of seabed, rebuilding Berth 10 on North Quay and strengthening the existing container berths.
The $250 million infrastructure project was achieved within budget and within two years of the start date. It was one of the biggest projects undertaken at the port since the opening of Fremantle Harbour in 1897 and was essential to enable the port to remain competitive.
Now that the Inner Harbour has been dredged to 14.7 metres, the port is able to provide access for container ships which were previously unable to load to full capacity. Planning for the use of the additional land at Rous Head for port-related purposes is well underway.
The reconstruction of Berth 10 won the Management of Engineering award at the 2010 WA Engineering Excellence Awards held by Engineers Australia. The berth, previously unsuitable for container shipping, now provides an additional 180 metres of operational wharf space for the port’s container trade.
The deepening project has contributed significantly to the long-term sustainability of Fremantle Port’s Inner Harbour as a major gateway for national and international trade.