Project overview
Broome has long been a strategic northern gateway for Australia’s resources, defence, and tourism industries. Yet the port’s ageing wharf, built for a different era, was unable to meet the demands of modern trade. The region’s extreme tidal range – rising and falling up to ten metres within six hours – restricted operations to short tidal windows, driving inefficiency and deterring larger vessels. Freight remained slow and expensive, limiting competitiveness and curtailing Broome’s potential as a 24/7 logistics hub. Conventional expansion methods such as dredging carried unacceptable environmental risks for the pristine Kimberley coastline. A new marine facility was required: one that enabled all-tide operations while protecting local ecosystems and meeting community expectations.
Solution
From the outset, TAMS adopted a relationship-based contracting model with Kimberley Ports Authority, regulators, Traditional Owners, and the community. Design development prioritised sustainability, resilience, and constructability. The floating wharf concept eliminated dredging, reducing seabed disturbance.
Construction sequencing was carefully aligned with Broome’s climate and tidal windows. Seabed surveys and piling were completed using specialist jack-up barges and rigs, ensuring control of safety, quality, and productivity. Offshore modular fabrication of pontoon units allowed parallel progress, with modules transported to site and lifted into position using heavy-lift marine cranes. The pontoons were then connected through hinged systems to form a continuous platform, fitted with fenders, bollards, and mooring facilities.
The trestle causeway and link-span ramp were constructed to provide seamless vehicle and cargo access, while roadworks maintained safe community use during construction. Services were extended along the structure, and final commissioning included load testing and trial berthings.
The result is a resilient, dynamic facility enabling uninterrupted operations across all tides. It will support resources, Defence, bulk cargo, livestock, cruise, and emerging green energy industries. By combining engineering innovation, pragmatic construction delivery and environmental stewardship, TAMS has delivered legacy infrastructure that secures Broome’s future as a world-class logistics hub.
Scope of work
The Kimberley Marine Support Base consortium engaged TAMS Group to design and construct a new floating wharf and approach causeway. The contract demanded more than delivery of infrastructure, it required collaborative problem-solving, innovative engineering, and respect for environmental and cultural requirements. The scope included a 165-metre by 50-metre floating wharf positioned in naturally deep water, a 300-metre trestle causeway, link-span ramp and integration of essential services such as power, water, firefighting, and navigation systems.
