Gladstone Aids to Navigation Project

PMG have recently returned from completing a sizable Aids to Navigation (AToN) replacement project in Gladstone for Qld Dept. of Main Roads. 

The project involved installation of 38 new piled AToNs, and full pile extraction and disposal of 38 old ones. Pile sizes were 600mm dia. 900mm dia and 1200mm dia.

The work involved our piling barge PMG182 (54m x 18m) which was fitted with a 180T crawler crane. Onboard were a selection of vibrohammers and impact hammers, as well as a 2 gate pile driving frame, workshops, 4 point mooring system and all associated equipment. We also had a 2^nd barge - PMG124 (36m x 12m) there acting as a cargo barge. Our tugs PMG Pride and Black Panther were involved, as well as our crew transfer vessel Sea Wanderer 2. Numerous single tows and tandem tows between Townsville and Gladstone were involved, to take old extracted AToN components off site for steel recycling, and bringing new components to site for installation.

All AToN components were prefabricated and painted where required at PMG’s marine facility in Townsville, before being loaded onto barges and towed to site in Gladstone. The fabrication involved a large quantity of stainless steel and aluminium fabrication of ladders, clamps, pile top working platforms etc. All pile splicing was completed in-house using PMG’s sub arc welding equipment, and most painting at our in-house blast and paint facility.

Once we had towed the barges to Gladstone, the site work involved pitching and driving the piles, then trimming to height, then final pile fitout including ladders, ladder clamps, work platforms and electrical and navigation component fitout. UCC MarineSeal 2000FD jackets were installed on the piles, which involved topside work from access platforms, as well as underwater work using divers. All new AToN sites had an existing piled beacon nearby that had to be fully removed, with the pile typically extracted using a vibrohammer, and when this was not successful by other techniques PMG have refined by extracting thousands of piles over the years.

Many of the sites were very exposed so weather played a big part in this barge based job.

All in all this very challenging job went well, with every department of PMG being involved – Project Management, Safety, Admin, Finance, Fabrication, Maintenance, Logistics, Blast and Paint, Divers and Stores.