Tuvalu to benefit from international dredging aid

April 1, 2015

Australian-based dredging, civil contracting and marine civil company Hall Contracting is set to greatly improve the living standards of communities in the remote Polynesian nation of Tuvalu, with the company preparing to undertake dredging works valued at more than $7 million as part of the New Zealand Aid Programme.

Hall Contracting Managing Director Cameron Hall said he was delighted to be working alongside the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and consultant Calibre Consulting Ltd in supporting the Tuvaluan people, and looked forward to tackling the complex and remote dredging project on the Funafuti atoll.

“The project will involve more than 365,000m3 of sand being dredged from a local lagoon and used to fill man made borrow pits* that were created during World War II by the United States Marine Corps to build an airstrip,” Mr Hall said.

“The pits are uninhabitable and water levels in them rise and fall with the tide. This rise and fall takes rubbish as well as human and pig waste through the porous coral floor and into the lagoon, polluting the water and causing eutrophication (a process where the extra nutrients present stimulate excessive plant growth).”

“The excessive plant growth is currently having a detrimental effect on the health of the local ecosystem, and by extension, the health and livelihood of the Tuvaluan people.”

Mr Hall said the dredging works being undertaken over the coming months would also assist the nation to combat the impacts of climate change.

“Tuvalu is the fourth smallest country in the world at just 26 square kilometres so it is particularly vulnerable to rising sea levels,” Mr Hall said.

“Filling the borrow pits with sand that has previously migrated from the island into the lagoon will help to protect the island against heightened sea levels. This sand would otherwise have been a lost resource.”

Mr Hall said the additional land created by filling in the borrow pits would also create more open space to be used by the Tuvaluan people.

“Aside from the local airfield, Tuvalu is very densely populated, so the new land space will be of great benefit to the locals.”

Hall Contracting has sent its 4,500hp cutter suction dredge, the Amity, to complete the project, along with a range of support equipment including excavators, dozers and trucks as well as a 180-foot accommodation barge.

“Our team is well-versed in tackling projects in remote locations, having successfully completed many of these across the Asia Pacific,” Mr Hall said.

“This time around, we’ll be deploying a number of our specialist dredge and plant operators to Tuvalu, and we’re also proud to be providing a much-needed boost to Tuvalu’s economy, with a large amount of our land based labour force set to be made up of Tuvaluans.”

“This not only provides the locals with employment, but also teaches them valuable new skills that they can use in years to come.”

Mr Hall said he was thrilled to be giving something back to the Tuvaluan community and commended the New Zealand government on supporting such a worthy initiative.

“It’s great to see the New Zealand government providing aid to Tuvalu and dramatically improving the quality of life of its people and state of the local environment through these dredging operations.”

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.

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Media contact

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

Further information

*Borrow pits are areas where materials such as soil or sand have been dug up for use at another location.
During World War II, 10 borrow pits were created by the United States Marine Corps on Fongafale — the largest islet on Funafuti atoll. The coral base of the atoll was used as fill to create the runway of what is now the Funafuti International Airport.

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