Kimberley Marine Support Base

The Kimberley Marine Support Base is set to service the region’s growing oil and gas, agriculture, and cargo industries, by building a superior, modern marine facility that is designed specifically for Broome’s unique and extreme tidal fluctuations. The $110m facility will incorporate a floating wharf linked to a fixed causeway, allowing safe and efficient 24/7 operations regardless of tide depth.

The existing Port of Broome consists of a fixed jetty that is at the mercy of some of Australia’s biggest tides, reaching off the coast into a sea that can rise and fall by 10 metres in just six hours. This has presented challenges when loading and unloading vessels, particularly for live cattle exports to Indonesia, gas rig tenders for the Browse Basin, and cruise ship passengers wanting to visit the historic pearling town.

The proposed new jetty will be a floating platform connected to land by an articulated causeway that will allow it to rise and fall with the tides and make unloading cargo more efficient.

The floating jetty project is estimated to create more than 200 jobs during the construction phase, with the employment for onshore works to be sourced locally, while ongoing operations could provide more than 500 permanent jobs in Broome and more than 1,500 jobs state-wide.

The key design elements include:

• 300m long bi-directional causeway
• 85m linkspan bridge
• Two restraint structures
• 55m x 165m floating wharf platform
• 700 tonne crane capacity.

The proposed $110 million facility will be constructed and funded by Kimberley Marine Support Base (KMSB) Pty Ltd. The KMSB has negotiated a range of leases which are conditional on finalising the necessary environmental and cultural heritage approvals; attracting finance and appointing a facility operator.

The State Government has announced the approval of the lease agreement at the Port of Broome to enable the Kimberley Marine Support Base project to proceed to the next stage. Recent global trade uncertainties brought on by the COVID pandemic caused some minor delays in the project last year and an extension of the ‘commitment period’ has been  granted.

KMSB remains determined to build the jetty and is committed to get the project underway as soon as possible. Construction is currently planned for 2022 and 2023 to allow for commencement of operations in 2024.

For more information please access KMSB’s website.