Sharing environmental excellence

BPC’s excellence in marine works and environmental protection was showcased at the recent Asia-Pacific conference of the World Association of Waterborne Transport Infrastructure (PIANC), held in Brisbane. The biennial event, attended by 450 people from 20 countries, focussed on Working with Nature.

BPC Site Engineer Rhys Winter presented a paper on the Matiu Somes Island Wharf Replacement Project, delivered on a predator-free island  in Wellington harbour. Co-written with Pre-Contracts Manager Alex Normandeau, the paper discussed the strict biosecurity controls required on the island, working around Korora (Little Blue Penguins), and low impact marine piling methods. Rhys talked about the logistics during the construction phase of the project, including biosecurity and penguin checks each morning, marine mammal observations, and sharing barges between projects.  

“Through proactive planning and strong collaboration with our client, we were able to leave Somes Island the way we found it, although with a safer, more resilient wharf,” the paper concluded.