Oakajee Port
Encyclopedia
Oakajee Port is a proposed deep water port to be built in the Mid West region of Western Australia
, about 25 kilometres (16 mi) north of the city of Geraldton-Greenough
to service the region's growing iron ore industry. Approval by the Government of Western Australia
for the construction and operation of the port and rail facility was announced on 29 July 2008, with the contract being awarded to Oakajee Port & Rail Pty Ltd, a joint venture between Murchison Metals Ltd. and Mitsubishi Corporation
.
Construction is expected to commence in 2011 with completion possible by 2014. The project, including the associated rail project and rolling stock is expected to cost about A$4 billion. The port will have an initial capacity of 45 million metric tons of iron ore annually.
Opposition to the project from locals has highlighted environmental concerns including the destruction of the nearby and pristine Coronation Beach.
Lobbying in favour of the project has been from a partnership known as Geraldton Iron Ore Alliance which includes miners Mount Gibson Iron, Midwest Corporation (ASX:MIS), Murchison Metals Ltd (ASX:MMX), Gindalbie Metals (ASX:GBG), Golden West Resources, Royal Resources Ltd, Asia Iron Holdings Ltd and Atlas Iron Ltd.
The alternative project considered by the government was to deepen and enlarge the existing Geraldton Port
, however this was considered non-viable due to environmental issues associated with the port being situated relatively close to the city.
tracks serving both narrow gauge
and standard gauge
tracks.
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, about 25 kilometres (16 mi) north of the city of Geraldton-Greenough
Geraldton, Western Australia
Geraldton is a city and port in Western Australia located north of Perth in the Mid West region. Geraldton has an estimated population at June 2010 of 36,958...
to service the region's growing iron ore industry. Approval by the Government of Western Australia
Government of Western Australia
The formation of the Government of Western Australia is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1890, although it has been amended many times since then...
for the construction and operation of the port and rail facility was announced on 29 July 2008, with the contract being awarded to Oakajee Port & Rail Pty Ltd, a joint venture between Murchison Metals Ltd. and Mitsubishi Corporation
Mitsubishi Corporation
is Japan's largest trading company , a member of the Mitsubishi keiretsu. Mitsubishi Corporation employs over 50,000 people and has seven business segments including finance, banking, energy, machinery, chemicals, food and more....
.
Construction is expected to commence in 2011 with completion possible by 2014. The project, including the associated rail project and rolling stock is expected to cost about A$4 billion. The port will have an initial capacity of 45 million metric tons of iron ore annually.
Location
The port and facilities will be constructed within approximately 6400 hectares (15,814.7 acre) of land owned by the State Government. The property is used as farmland but 1100 hectares (2,718.2 acre) is zoned for heavy industrial and 200 hectares (494.2 acre) zoned for support industries. It is roughly bordered by the Buller River to the south, Coronation Beach Road to the north and the Moresby Ranges to the east.History
The site was first considered as a port and railway approximately 30 years ago.Opposition to the project from locals has highlighted environmental concerns including the destruction of the nearby and pristine Coronation Beach.
Lobbying in favour of the project has been from a partnership known as Geraldton Iron Ore Alliance which includes miners Mount Gibson Iron, Midwest Corporation (ASX:MIS), Murchison Metals Ltd (ASX:MMX), Gindalbie Metals (ASX:GBG), Golden West Resources, Royal Resources Ltd, Asia Iron Holdings Ltd and Atlas Iron Ltd.
The alternative project considered by the government was to deepen and enlarge the existing Geraldton Port
Geraldton, Western Australia
Geraldton is a city and port in Western Australia located north of Perth in the Mid West region. Geraldton has an estimated population at June 2010 of 36,958...
, however this was considered non-viable due to environmental issues associated with the port being situated relatively close to the city.
Railway
The new port will be served dual gaugeDual gauge
A dual-gauge or mixed-gauge railway has railway track that allows trains of different gauges to use the same track. Generally, a dual-gauge railway consists of three rails, rather than the standard two rails. The two outer rails give the wider gauge, while one of the outer rails and the inner rail...
tracks serving both narrow gauge
Narrow gauge
A narrow gauge railway is a railway that has a track gauge narrower than the of standard gauge railways. Most existing narrow gauge railways have gauges of between and .- Overview :...
and standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
tracks.