The project began with the strip out of the large two-story building on the site’s north side. Major Projects Group’s 33 tonne Liebherr LH-30 excavator was then used to tear down the structure and the materials were loaded onto trucks to be removed from site and recycled.

Work on the oil wharf then began with 2 x 2 meter sections being cut out of the wharf’s upper concrete layer. Holes were then drilled into each corner of the concrete sections and cables were used to sling them under an excavator. The concrete was then broken down and removed from site. The subbase layer was then removed in the same way. The two layers needed to be removed independently due to its poor structural condition.

The cruiser wharf demolition repeated the same process, but due to the better structural condition of the concrete slabs, an excavator bucket was able to lift both the upper layer and subbase together without the use of a sling. Excavators equipped with long reach booms were then able to remove the wooden wharf base.

Particular care needed to be taken throughout the entire process to make sure that no contaminated material was leaked into the sea. This was done by implementing strict material removal procedures, zoning off certain areas vulnerable to collapse and deploying floating barriers to catch any debris.