Seagrass and benthic surveys of potential spoil grounds and departure path - Port of Hay Point (B1.28)

Task leader: Dr Michael Rasheed, Department of Primary Industries & Fisheries

Task associate: 3rd Party Contract

The Port of Hay Point is located approximately 20km south of Mackay on the central Queensland coast and services Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal (DBCT) and Hay Point Services (HPS). The port consists of a number of offshore wharves and is serviced from the shore by jetty-mounted conveyors of up to 3.8km in length, which run out to sea and allow ship loading in deeper water.

Ports Corporation Queensland (PCQ) is responsible for the maintenance and establishment of navigable waters within the Port of Hay Point. Spoil from dredging is currently disposed of at a designated spoil ground approximately 3km to the north west of Port facilities. AS the spoil ground is approaching maximum capacity, PCQ recently commissioned a study to identify new areas for spoil disposal to enable the continuation of capital and maintenance dredging campaigns at the Port, which are anticipated to produce approximately 15 million m3 of spoil in the next 10 years.

Three potential spoil ground sites have been identified, one of which is located in the Great bArrier Reef Marine Park (GBRMP). In addition to this, PCQ is planning to undertake capital dredging of a departure path in the Port of Hay Point, which also traverses the GBRMP.

PCQ are seeking services to undertake a preliminary benthic investigation of the three potential spoil ground sites and of the departure path. AS PCQ will be undertaking agency consultation regarding both projects, the study should be undertaken in such context. Information should be included in the report to support such activities and to assist in the planning and decision making process.