Fact Sheet

July 2012 | Project Principles Series | Paper 1

Basis of design
Oakajee Port and Rail (OPR) is developing a deepwater port north of Geraldton, linked to the region’s
emerging mining operations via a 570km Standard-Gauge, heavy haul railway. This edition of the Project
Principles Series examines the basis of design for the port and rail components.

The Oakajee Task

Described as one of the single most
important projects for WA’s economic
development over the next 50 years,
the State Government’s port and rail
design requirements aim to create
a new, globally competitive minerals
province in the mid-west.
OPR’s design is based on agreed
project principles with the State. They
include:
• Development of an integrated
logistics chain, allowing the
efficient export of mineral
products to world markets;
• Open access arrangements
for third party port and rail
infrastructure users;
• Berthing capacity for Capesize
vessels; and
• Port and rail infrastructure
capable of accommodating
at least 35mpta of ore (the
equivalent of moving the entire
Geraldton Zone’s annual grain
harvest every five weeks), with
capability for staged expansion
to over 70mtpa.

A Fit-For-Purpose Design
In mid-2009, OPR appointed
experienced Tier 1 engineering,
procurement and construction
management company WorleyParsons
to manage the project’s design and
engineering, along with capital and
operating cost estimates, and oversee
the work of leading engineering and
specialist consultants.
The resulting design reflects the
need to shift large tonnages of
ore over long distances, as safely
and efficiently as possible. It is
driven by the stipulated minimum
tonnage requirements of the State
and foundation customers, based on
a single rail line operation, ensuring
the optimum amount of equipment is
utilised.
On the current Bankable Feasibility
Study (BFS) base-case - the delivery
of 45mtpa - the OPR model delivers
the lowest unit of cost capacity
and lowest absolute capital cost,
relative to other gauge and axle load
combinations.
The project also satisfies requirements
to allow for open access arrangements
for third party port and infrastructure
users.

An Integrated Pit-to-Port Supply Chain

OPR’s port and rail design has been
subject to extensive independent peer
review, including value engineering
assessments. All endorsed the
fundamental basis of design.
As an indication of the quality of work
completed to date, OPR and consultant
AECOM were awarded a 2011 Engineers
Australia (WA) Award for Integrated Iron
Ore Supply Chain Modelling.

Oakajee Port & Rail Pty Ltd. ABN 25 117 240 007
OPR is wholly owned by Mitsubishi Development Pty Ltd.
www.opandr.com
 Fact Sheet
July 2012 | Project Principles Series | Paper 1

Basis of Design - Port

The Location
The greenfields site for the Oakajee
deepwater port is 24km north of
Geraldton along Australia’s west coast.
The Oakajee site boasts a natural deep
anchorage - one of very few such sites
on the Western Australian coast. The
seabed is generally rocky with sand
pockets.
However, Oakajee still remains exposed
to ocean swell, occasional storm events
and seasonal strong winds.

Oakajee, 24km north of Geraldton.

The Task and Solution
Port Key Metrics (Initial)
2 Capesize vessel berths
18.3m maximum laden draft
2.5km breakwater
1 shiploader, 1 reclaimer
1 rail car dumper (dual car, single
cell), 2 stackers
Apart from optimising operational
efficiency - in accordance with
stipulated minimum vessel size and
annual throughput requirements -
the ability to withstand local oceanic
conditions, in the context of a 50-
plus year operational life, is a major
consideration in design.
Critical factors (which are also State
requirements) include:
• The breakwater’s ability to sustain
no appreciable damage during
at least one, and preferably two,
successive 1 in 100-year storm
events;
• Ensuring berthed vessels are
adequately sheltered from
prevailing sea conditions to allow
cargo to be handled in a safe and
timely manner; and
• Ensuring the safe navigation and
mooring of ships into and out of
the port.
Extensive studies have concluded that
a breakwater is required to meet the
basic criterion of providing adequate
shelter for loading operations.
Furthermore, the location, orientation
and length of the breakwater will prove
vital in providing protection to allow
dredging for navigation channels and
the main turning basin.
To measure the impact of local sea
conditions on moored ships and
structures, UK-based hydraulics firm
HR Wallingford was commissioned to
A 3D scale model of the Oakajee breakwater, about to be subjected to massive simulated storm surges.
create 3D physical models and conduct
wave tank testing.
The modelling examined how the
breakwater protected moored vessels
ranging from 65,000 to 210,000
deadweight tonnes (dwt) under various
wave conditions. These studies will
inform OPR engineers of the suitability
of final breakwater materials and
design.
Shiploading, train unloading and
stockpile equipment will be set at
the minimum to achieve the required
throughput.
These will be large, highly-utilized
machines of the same standard used for
decades by other iron ore infrastructure
operators.
Breakwater vs Jetty Port configuration*
Port land zone Strategic
industry zone
At the outset of port design
at Oakajee, the merits of
breakwater compared to jetty construction Iron ore
industry zone

were examined. Cardumper

Proposed

While there are a number of unprotected Small boat

desalination plant

harbour facilities
bulk loading berths (jetties) in Australia Br
ea
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Por
– most notably Queensland’s bulk coal at
er Stackers

t ac
Tug pen
terminals – conditions are radically

ces

Sto
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different to those experienced at Oakajee.

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ad

iles
The Queensland berths are protected
from Pacific swell by the Great Barrier Cape Class Conveyor Reclaimer
Shiploader
Reef and are only subjected to locally- iron ore
export
generated wind waves. berths

Similarly, South Australia’s Port Bonython

oil terminal is protected from Southern
Ocean swells by the Spencer Gulf.
Apart from minor influence from the
Abrolhos Islands, Oakajee enjoys no such
relief from Indian Ocean swells.
Preliminary investigations found
construction of an unprotected conveyor
and access trestle (jetty) would likely
result in:
• Inability to carry out cutter
suction dredging;
• Berths being located further out
to sea (approx. 2.7km), in deeper
water;
• Significantly increased downtime,
due to adverse weather, leading
to higher demurrage costs; and
• Greater construction risk, due to
the open-ocean environment.
*Note: Slewing yard design shown for
illustrative purposes.

Capesize Berths, Globally Competitive

To ensure long-term, global maximum draft of 18.3m. Known as

competitiveness in the open sea- Capesize, this class of vessel is built
traded iron ore market, Oakajee is to serve deepwater terminals handling
designed to accommodate bulk raw materials, such as iron ore.
carriers up to 210,000dwt, with a

Basis of Design - Rail The Route

OPR’s rail route will serve the region’s

major emerging iron ore producers,
including a main line to Jack Hills and
spur to Weld Range, along with a
short spur allowing connection to
southern mines.

Passing the Moresby Ranges at the

Wokatherra Gap near the coast, further
inland the alignment is largely flat, with
few natural or man-made obstacles.

The proposed rail route has been

approved by the State Government and
now awaits passage through the WA
Parliament.
The proposed 570km rail route.

www.opandr.com
 Fact Sheet
July 2012 | Project Principles Series | Paper 1
Basis of Design, Rail - The Technical Solution
Rail Key Metrics
570km single track
Heavy haul, Standard-Gauge of the Pilbara and the world’s other
- 37 tonne axle load (TAL)
Six 2.5km passing tracks, with
expansion capability
11 bridges, 19 public road rail
crossings
3190 culverts at 466 locations
Earthworks - total fill volume
8.16 million m3, total cut volume
5.28 million m3
OPR, with its consultants, has
developed a comprehensive, fit-for-
purpose solution.
The track will cater for trains with an iron
ore payload of more than 20,000t – the
current iron ore industry standard.
Trains with two locomotives of 4,400hp
An Industry Standard, Tested Over Decades
The Pilbara is regarded as being at the
leading edge of world’s best practice in
bulk freight railways, with trains of up to
40TAL (tonne axle load) and total train
gross weights of up to 50,000t, and
with the smallest trains still over 30,000t
mass.
Back in the 1960s, the new heavy-haul
diesel electric locomotives combined
with advances in head-hardened rail
to open up the renowned deposits of
Mount Newman and Mount Tom Price.
Early on, Pilbara operators recognised
the need to use high axle load trains on
Standard-Gauge rail, even when their
mines were operating at tonnages less
than what is proposed for the mid-west.
Large 35-40TAL trains on Standard-
Gauge rail are considered the lowest
120718FSPPS1
cost solution in both capital and
operating cost terms.
Oakajee Port & Rail Pty Ltd. ABN 25 117 240 007
OPR is wholly owned by Mitsubishi Development Pty Ltd.
and 160-180 wagons will have a gross
weight of 24,000t-26,000t and a
payload of over 20,000t-22,000t.
This is comparable to the iron ore trains
major iron ore provinces.
Eight of these trains are used in the
45mtpa design. The railway allows for
longer trains if and when required.
This design minimises the number of
locomotives and wagons required for
the fleet; the number of trains occupying
the track at any given time; and the
number of passing sidings.
When these factors are considered,
the OPR Standard-Gauge design,
compared to Narrow-Gauge, delivers
the lowest operating cost and lowest
total capital cost, with the benefit of
greater capacity for future expansion.
If the railway from Oakajee to Jack
Hills had been designed to 26TAL
rather than 37TAL - even using the
Brazil operator Vale’s Carajás Railroad,
better known as the EFC, supports the
largest capacity trains in Latin America.
Last year, the axle load for the Broad-
Gauge EFC was increased to 32.5t and
Vale has announced plans to lift this
further to 37.5t in 2016. On its legacy
Narrow-Gauge networks, such as the
EFVM, Vale has consistency sought to
maximise axle loads.
Even for iron ore systems using much
older legacy track such as South Africa’s
Transnet and Sweden’s Malmbana
heavy haul railroads, a similar strategy
has been adopted.
Transnet now runs the heaviest axle
loads of any Narrow-Gauge line
(30TAL), offsetting the Narrow-Gauge
disadvantage by running the longest
trains in the world (over 4km long) to
achieve train weights of over 41,000t -
albeit at the cost of much more rolling
stock.
same rail alignment - the overall capital
cost (including rolling stock) would be
increased by $500m at 45mtpa and
$1.8b at 100mtpa*.
In addition, the ongoing operating
cost would be considerably greater for
Narrow-Gauge, compared to Standard-
Gauge.
* January 2010 costs.
OPR Standard-Gauge
vs Existing Mid-West
Narrow-Gauge
On a base case of 45mtpa,
Standard-Gauge (37TAL) compared
to Narrow-Gauge (26TAL) requires:
� Half the number of ore cars
� A fifth of the locomotives
� Up to a third of the train sets
� Less train movements, delivering
less portside congestion and
faster loading times
The Malmbanan (Swedish for Iron Ore
Line) Railway has steadily increased the
axle load on its 100-year-old Standard-
Gauge line to 30t and has plans to
further increase this to 32.5t.
Across the world, major iron ore
producers are looking to improve
efficiencies and competitiveness, by
maximising train size and consistently
lifting their axle loads within the legacy
constraints particular to each operator –
a key consideration in the design of the
mid-west rail infrastructure for the 21st
century.
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