A major contract has been awarded to Worley Arcadis Joint Venture (JV) to progress planning and design work for Westport, Western Australia’s proposed future container port at Kwinana.
The Western Australian State Government has appointed the JV to deliver marine and port infrastructure technical advisory services, supporting the next phase of definition and design for the Westport program. The work will inform reference design development, approvals, construction planning and cost estimation ahead of final investment decisions.
Westport is being planned as a long-term solution to address future capacity constraints at Fremantle Port, which is forecast to reach its operational limits by the end of the 2030s. The Westport Business Case identified significant economic risk if additional container capacity is not delivered in time, estimating potential impacts of $244 billion to the state economy over coming decades.
Under the contract, Worley Arcadis JV will support optimisation of port infrastructure planning and play a role in embedding sustainability, cost efficiency, safety and regulatory compliance throughout the design process.
Acting Transport Minister Dr Tony Buti says the contract award represents an important step in progressing the project.
“Westport is one of the largest infrastructure programs ever undertaken in Western Australia,” Buti says.
“This contract award marks a major milestone for Westport, bringing in the specialist marine design expertise needed for a once-in-a-century project to shape the future of container trade in the State.”
Buti adds that early investment in technical planning is intended to reduce risk ahead of future delivery.
“We’re investing early in Westport’s technical foundations and doing the hard work now to de-risk the future delivery of this major infrastructure,” he says.
“Delivering a new container port is critical to the long-term strength of our economy and keeping costs down for households, which is why we’re undertaking thorough planning now.”
Westport forms part of long-term planning to ensure Western Australia’s port infrastructure can support future trade growth, freight efficiency and employment over coming decades.
.jpg)
