Nov 27

Australian contractor completes aid project in Tuvalu

November 27, 2015

The remote island nation of Tuvalu is benefiting from increased land space and improved living conditions following the completion of dredging works delivered by Australian-based dredging, civil contracting and marine civil company Hall Contracting.

Hall Contracting Managing Director Cameron Hall said the works — funded by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade on behalf of the Government of Tuvalu — had involved more than 365,000m3 of sand being dredged from a local lagoon and used to fill man-made pits on one of the country’s nine islands, Funafuti.

“During the second world war, the United States Marine Corps dug up areas of the Funafuti atoll for use in building an airstrip. The resulting trenches — known as borrow pits — are uninhabitable, and tidal movements see rubbish as well as human and pig waste collect in the pits, then seep through the island’s porous coral floor and into the lagoon below,” Mr Hall said.

“This situation has not only posed sanitation issues for many years, but also polluted the water beneath, causing excessive plant growth and wreaking havoc on the health of the local ecosystem. Considering fishing and agriculture are some of the country’s primary economic activities, any damage to the local ecosystem can be detrimental to the livelihood of the Tuvaluan people.”

Mr Hall said filling in the borrow pits had minimised pollution and improved hygiene levels on the atoll, while also creating more open space to be used by the community.

“For a small island nation, Tuvalu is very densely populated, so land space is considered precious. In conducting these works on Funafuti’s eastern side, we were able to increase the useable land space in the area by eight per cent,” Mr Hall said.

In addition to the works, Hall Contracting also undertook foundation and building repairs on-site, installing new services and constructing a rock wall to repair a breach in the atoll.

Hall Contracting has spent more than six months working on the $7 million aid project, deploying a 4,500hp cutter suction dredge, 180-foot accommodation barge and support equipment such as excavators, dozers and trucks from Australia to Polynesian waters as part of the project.

At the project’s peak, approximately 30 workers were involved with the works on-site, including six Hall Contracting staff members, four Fijian natives and 20 Tuvaluans.

Mr Hall said as a result of the successful project, Hall Contracting had been engaged to carry out a further aid project in Tuvalu.

“The project we’ve been contracted to undertake is the design and construction of a seawall on behalf of the Government of Tuvalu and the United Nations Development Program,” Mr Hall said.

“When tropical cyclone Pam battered Tuvalu, Vanuatu and other nations in the South Pacific earlier this year, it caused significant damage to one of Tuvalu’s seawalls, so we’re rebuilding this and expect the new structure will protect the country’s Nukufetau atoll in the years to come.”

“Our team is delighted to have played a role in supporting the Tuvaluan community, and we look forward to continuing works in the area and assisting locals to reap the benefits for years to come.”

“Self-sufficiency is highly important to the Tuvaluan people, so in addition to employing a number of Tuvaluan residents and equipping them with the skills to carry out these works, our team will also teach them how to conduct repairs and maintain the condition of the new seawall over the long term.”

“For a country that will be acutely affected by the impacts of climate change, we see this transfer of skills as extremely important.”

Hall Contracting is an Australian-owned and operated company that services the Asia Pacific region and specialises in complex, remote and environmentally sensitive dredging projects. To find out more, call +61 7 5445 5977 or visit www.hallcontracting.com.au.

 

// Ends.

 

Media contact

Kristen Roder, Fresh PR & Marketing
P: +61 406 546 461
E: kristen@freshprm.com.au

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