Kerman Contracting awarded $60 million for Port of Ashburton ore storage contract by Mineral Resources

A $60 million contract for the construction of a new 284m-long ore storage facility at Onslow’s Port of Ashburton has been awarded to Kerman Contracting. The contract was awarded to Kerman Contracting by Mineral Resources on May 17 to deliver the enclosed facility and associated materials handling. The facilities design is in progress and onsite construction works are expected to start in January 2023. The project is part of Mineral Resources’ proposed 30Mtpa Ashburton Hub which would see iron ore trucked to Onslow on company-built private haul roads and then exported using a fleet of MinRes-built vessels to transfer the ore to offshore bulk carriers. Kerman managing director Chris Kerman said the project fit perfectly into the company’s core business and will provide employment for about 60 site personnel and opportunities for local businesses. ”To deliver a world-class facility for MRL we will call upon our previous experience in the design and construction of port bulk storage and materials handling facilities in locations such as Bunbury, Esperance, Geraldton, Port Kembla and Whyalla,” he said. “We are very pleased with the opportunity to design and construct a storage facility with these dimensions in the Pilbara region. “Once constructed this facility will be one of the largest enclosed bulk storage buildings in Australia’s cyclone region.”