Demolition with minimal downtime
AWARD-winning demolition and remediation contractor, Liberty Industrial, has completed the second stage of a coal infrastructure dismantling project at the Port Kembla Coal Terminal.
The works formed part of a broader terminal restoration project, following the commissioning of new coal handling machinery at the terminal.
Liberty Industrial was initially engaged to dismantle a redundant coal stacker and coal reclaimer to make way for new machinery, and have now dismantled a further two stackers and another reclaimer at the terminal.
For a demolition of this nature, a complete shutdown of key operational assets, such as coal conveyors, bunkers and ship loaders, would normally have been required.
The works were carried out within the operational coal terminal and required significant planning and pre-shutdown works to minimise the impact on the terminal’s operations.
Liberty Industrial devised a methodology that enabled all preparatory works to be undertaken with minimal disruption to the terminal’s operations and the dismantling works to be carried out over live operational conveyor lines.
The machines were dismantled in situ with the aid of a 750 tonne crawler crane, and the components subsequently downsized on the ground for recycling.
The structures were progressively dismantled in an engineered sequence designed to maintain their structural stability.
Liberty Industrial carried out a series of heavy lifts, the heaviest being the reclaimer portal gantry weighing 214 tonnes.
Achieving minimal disruption to the operational coal terminal facility was critical to the project’s success.
With demolition occurring within close vicinity to operational coal handling infrastructure, extensive planning and coordination were key to the successful completion of the works without significant disruption to the terminal’s operations.
The award-winning contractor received recognition for the delivery of some of Australia’s largest and most technically complex demolition and remediation projects.