The Port of Townsville in Queensland, Australia, has found a local solution in its search for specialised industrial pavers for its new AU$30 million (US$18.5 million) crane and cargo container terminal.
Port of Townsville general manager infrastructure and environment Marissa Wise said that, due to the weight of heavy machinery and shipping containers at the new facility, 100mm pavers are needed to provide a strong durable working surface, whilst allowing efficient repair of any localised damage.
“Typical industrial pavers generally do not have the required density to withstand the weight of stacked containers and the constant movement of large machinery on the terminal pad which will operate 24-hours a day seven days a week,” said Wise.
Formset Construction, the contractor undertaking construction of the new container terminal, engaged with Adbri Masonry to provide the pavers.
Adbri Masonry’s national contracting services manager, Mark Wilson, said the request to produce the pavers created was an opportunity for the business, with the composition of the paving being locally produced from the Burdekin and Calcium and being manufactured by North Queenslanders.
“These pavers could have been produced in Brisbane, Sydney or Melbourne, but our decision to produce locally at the Townsville production facility was a more affordable option in responding to the unique requirements of the port’s new container terminal. It also makes it easier to service the project during construction,” said Wilson.
“Our decision to purchase new moulds to manufacture the high-density pavers in Townsville is a long-term investment by the company in future North Queensland projects.”
Using high-quality sand from the Burdekin and blue metal from Calcium, Adbri Masonry has been able to supply 2,500 pavers to the container terminal project and eliminate high freight costs that would be been incurred had the pavers need to be manufactured elsewhere.
At the completion of the container terminal on Berth 4, more than 9,700 square metres of pavers will be laid to support containers and machinery. The pavers will be installed using a small machine that places approximately one square metre of pavers at a time before being adjusted, edged, sand packed and finished manually.
Port of Townsville’s Berth 4 container terminal area is scheduled for completion later this month and will accept its first containers in mid-2020.
