McConnell Dowell is pleased to announce that it has secured a number of contract awards across all operating regions in the first quarter of FY19. The Group continues to progress its market and growth strategy.
McConnell Dowell CEO Scott Cummins said, that the contracts awarded further highlight the Group as a specialist and respected infrastructure contractor that offers engineering and construction solutions to the Infrastructure, Building and Resource sectors across Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific, South East Asia and the Middle East.
“We continue to be proud of the work we undertake with our teams further cementing our reputation as a reliable and collaborative project delivery partner of choice,” Mr Cummins said.
“The recent awards demonstrate our growth across all core markets, accessing strategic regions and market sectors and strengthening our existing and new customer relationships”.
The continued commitment of collaborative work as a company, steady leadership and the creation and maintenance of valued relationships has resulted in the strengthening of the Group,” he said.
The following key contracts have been awarded in the first quarter of the 2019 financial year:
Webb Dock & Burnie Facilities Upgrade (Australia)
Commencing immediately, McConnell Dowell will showcase its marine expertise with the upgrade of existing wharf facilities at Webb Dock and Burnie for Toll Group. This project will be ready for operational use early 2019.
Swanson Dock Rehabilitation (Australia)
The Port of Melbourne Corporation has awarded the company a contract for further works to rehabilitate the berth at Swanson Dock.
Aviation Road & Wyndham (Australia)
Under the Western Program Alliance, the company has recently secured the contract to remove the Aviation Road Level Rail Crossing in Laverton and construct the Wyndham Vale Stabling Yard. Both projects are scheduled to commence immediately.
The program is focused on removing and replacing the existing level rail crossings throughout Melbourne. McConnell Dowell will provide design and construction services for the Victorian State Governments Level Crossing Removal Authority.
Neste Underpass (Singapore)
McConnell Dowell will strengthen its reputation for underground works when constructing two underpasses for production lines, services lines and facilities at the Neste refinery in Singapore. These underpasses will connect Neste’s new facilities with its existing refinery units on the nearby islands of Tuas in Singapore.
Clean Fuel Project (Thailand)
The company is undertaking early works associated with the Clean Fuel Project for Thai Oil. The Project team is ensuring the works are ready for commissioning during 2019.
Jane Street & Mulgoa Road (Australia)
McConnell Dowell has re-entered the NSW transport infrastructure market by securing the infrastructure upgrade contract for Jane Street and Mulgoa Road in Penrith. This project awarded by Roads & Maritime Services NSW reflects the company’s capacity to provide specialist construction solutions. Construction will commence in December and is due for completion in May 2020.
Auckland City Mission (New Zealand)
The contract has been secured to undertake the Mission HomeGround Development Project in Auckland, as part of the City Mission Charitable Trust. This is the first project award for Built Environs in New Zealand and signifies the successful strategic entry into the New Zealand vertical building market. The company is excited to be part of this important development, providing exceptional benefits to the community and customer.
The first quarter of 2019 has started strongly, and these awards highlight the strong demand for McConnell Dowell’s value offerings and specialist capabilities in its core market sectors and targeted operating regions.
“We look forward to continued success, securing further projects, building new relationships and strengthening our existing ones,” Mr Cummins said.
McConnell Dowell is pleased to announce a new contract to upgrade existing wharf facilities at Webb Dock and Burnie on behalf of Toll. The upgrades are required to allow the wharves to receive a new larger class of vessel procured by Toll to better service the Victorian/ Tasmanian shipping route.
The project award comes after an intense and productive 10-week Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) process between the two organisations, focused on developing the best design and delivery solution to ensure the works are completed on-time.
The project will be a complex logistics challenge whereby McConnell Dowell is required to upgrade both terminals concurrently whilst maintaining full operations.
A summary of the scope of work per location is as follows:
Webb Dock
- Quayside strengthening works including; construction of discrete sheet pile wall, removal of existing pavement, installation of 192 reinforced concrete piles, construction of concrete relieving platform, re-instatement of pavement gravels and asphalt.
- Construction of two mooring dolphins
- Construction of new abutment, removal of existing linkspan and installation of new larger linkspan
- Low/ high voltage electrical upgrades
Burnie
- Construction of two abutment dolphins, mooring and berthing dolphins
- Construction of new abutment, removal of existing linkspan and installation of new larger linkspan
- Low/ high voltage electrical upgrades
The delivery program is extremely tight and was a focus of the project team throughout the ECI process. McConnell Dowell worked closely with Toll to procure all long lead items throughout this phase, further demonstrating the advantages of this delivery model for complex accelerated projects.
The project will commence immediately and will be completed ready for the new vessels at the end of February 2019.
McConnell Dowell is pleased to announce the successful completion of the Chith Export Facility construction for Rio Tinto’s $2.6billion Amrun bauxite development on the Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland. Through collaboration and innovation, this state-of-the-art facility has been delivered safely, efficiently and with minimal environmental impact.
About the Project
Constructed in just 12 months by McConnell Dowell, the Chith Export Facility includes a new 650-metre long access jetty and a 350-metre long load wharf; both fully provisioned with services, conveyors, roadways and access walkways. Onshore scope included 350 metres of ground conveyors and a transfer station.
The facility is part of Rio Tinto’s Amrun Project, which includes the construction of a world-class bauxite mine, processing plant, and port facilities.
Collaboration and Innovation
Collaboration was a hallmark of this revolutionary marine project, which was designed by Jacobs and constructed by McConnell Dowell, with constructability oversight by Rio Tinto’s EPCM, Bechtel.
Jacobs’ design concept saw a move away from traditional stick-built to a modularised approach, with the wharf split into seven ‘jackets’ incorporating dolphins and topside modules.
This innovative jacket design reduced the number of permanent piles required to be installed from 100 to 28, minimising the environmental impact to marine life in the area – a key focus of the Amrun team.
The jacket structures and topside modules were fabricated off site by McConnell Dowell’s experienced fabricators, enabling on site jetty construction and wharf fabrication to occur concurrently and delivering safety and quality control benefits. The largest topside module weighed 1,200 tonnes.
The jetty was constructed using McConnell Dowell’s cantilevering traveller frame with hydraulic piling gates. These temporary works were fabricated with efficiency and repeatability in mind, and productivity peaked at an impressive three days per bent. Access was incorporated into the traveller design, creating a safe work environment with no requirement for scaffold.
Collectively, these innovations saw a reduction in high risk over-water and working at height activities and reducing overall build time by 12 months.
In reflecting on the project’s success, Rio Tinto’s Project General Manager, Marcia Hanrahan, said:
“Innovations such as these are integral for advancing the future of the mining and metals industry in a safe, cost effective and replicable manner. The collaboration between Rio Tinto, Bechtel, McConnell Dowell and Jacobs throughout the design, fabrication and construction phases of the project has delivered an approach to wharf building that will pave the way for future projects, not just in Australia but globally.”
McConnell Dowell’s Australian Managing Director Jim Frith agreed:
“Marine construction is core business for McConnell Dowell so to see collaboration lead to some really ground-breaking new methods is very exciting. New approaches that deliver time, cost, quality and environmental benefits are rare to achieve, so we are extremely proud to be part of this project with this team.”
Congratulations to the Amrun Chith Export Facility team (McConnell Dowell, Rio Tinto, Bechtel and Jacobs) who won a Queensland Civil Contractors Federation (CCF) Earth Award on Friday night. The Earth Awards recognise excellence in civil construction.
Located near Weipa in Far North Queensland, the marine Export Facility includes a new 650-metre long access jetty and a 350-metre long loading wharf. The facility is part of Rio Tinto’s Amrun Project, which includes the construction of a world-class bauxite mine, processing plant, and port facilities.
Collaboration was a hallmark of this revolutionary marine project, which was designed by Jacobs and constructed by McConnell Dowell, with constructability oversight by Rio Tinto’s EPCM, Bechtel.
Jacobs’ design concept saw a move away from traditional stick-built to a modularised approach, with the wharf split into seven ‘jackets’ incorporating dolphins and topside modules. This innovative jacket design reduced the number of permanent piles required to be installed from 100 to 28, minimising the environmental impact to marine life in the area – a key focus of the Amrun team.
The jetty was constructed using McConnell Dowell’s cantilevering traveller frame with hydraulic piling gates. These temporary works were fabricated with efficiency and repeatability in mind, and productivity peaked at an impressive three days per bent. Access was incorporated into the traveller design, creating a safe work environment with no requirement for scaffold.
Collectively, these innovations saw a reduction in high risk over-water and working at height activities and reducing overall build time by 12 months.The project secured the Earth Award for a project valued over $75 million, the highest value category.
Pictured: Graeme Brown (McConnell Dowell’s Project Director) and Scott McLachlan (Bechtel’s Quality Manager) with the award
McConnell Dowell has received a number of industry awards over the years, in recognition of the complex, innovative projects we undertake in collaboration with our partners and customers.
We are excited to announce that this year the Mangere Biological Nutrient Removal (BNR) Upgrade Project for Watercare has won the Hirepool Construction Excellence Awards 2018 for Category 4 – Projects with a value greater than NZ$100M.
Other awards that this impressive project has already won include:
- 2018 Hynds Construction Award for Projects greater than NZ$25M
- 2018 IPWEA New Zealand, Best Public Works Project greater than $5M
- 2016 Risk New Zealand, Excellence in Building Risk Management
Mangere BNR delivered by the McConnell Dowell/HEB JV competed against one other contender in this category, the SH1 Russley Road Upgrade in Christchurch, another one of our projects, this time delivered by the McConnell Dowell / Downer Joint Venture.
The Glen Eden Storage Tank Sewer Upgrade also received a Highly Commended certification in its category for projects between NZ$5-20M, in recognition for the highly innovative approach we took to the project by constructing a tank using an innovative caisson method to minimise disruption to the community.
At McConnell Dowell our purpose is “Providing a Better Life”. Our Vision is to be a leader in the delivery of infrastructure. Our Values are a complete commitment to safety and care, honesty and integrity, customer focus, working together, and performance excellence. We believe that these projects exemplify these values and would like to thank our customers, partners and all our staff that worked on these projects for a job well done.
To view the Mangere BNR project video click here.
