CCL invest in programs to support marine conservation and habitat protection
CCL funded UWA research to develop leading seagrass restoration projects
CCL donates shells annually for a Fairy Tern nesting sanctuary to help protect a threatened species
Our environmental management plan outlines key controls for sustainable marine operations
Marine environmental management
Shellsand is the raw material used for making lime at Cockburn Cement’s Munster operations and is the primary ingredient required for making quicklime.
Lime enables the daily operation of some of Western Australia’s most important industries, including construction, alumina processing and gold extraction in the resources sector.
To support our lime production capabilities, Cockburn Cement has been granted long-term approval (Ministerial Statement 599) to access shellsand resources in Owen Anchorage, off the metropolitan coast.
About our marine operations
Cockburn Cement collects shellsand using a slow-moving suction hopper dredge.
We operate only in our approved dredging area within designated paddocks, which cover an area of 3.6km2. All the approved dredging paddocks are located in Owen Anchorage, approximately 6km due west of Port Coogee.
Cockburn Cement has operated in Owen Anchorage since 1972. The company does not operate in any other offshore area. Our current operational area was selected based on an absence of seagrass meadows at the time of approval. There is also a 750m buffer from two centroid points within reefs and islands
Once collected, the shellsand is transported to Woodman Point, where the load is placed on the seafloor alongside the Cockburn Cement jetty. It is then piped to our wash-plant on the shore at Woodman Point where it is cleaned of small organic material and salt, before being pumped via a pipeline to Cockburn Cement’s Munster plant.
Managing our impacts
Cockburn Cement has several management plans in place as part of our full Environmental Management Programme (EMP) which are implemented to minimise the risk of the potential impacts of dredging. Implementation of the EMP also meets specific Ministerial Conditions as part of our approvals.
Monitoring and management undertaken by CCL includes:
- Wave measurement and modelling (i.e. wave height and direction) and review of potential effects of any changes in wave climate on coastal structures (e.g. groynes, jetties), shipping navigation and the shoreline.
- Shoreline monitoring
- Monitoring sensitive marine habitats (i.e. seagrass meadows)
Cockburn Cement’s EMP identifies the methods for managing these potential impacts. The specific management plans are listed below:
- A Seagrass Research and Rehabilitation Plan, as outlined on our Research and Rehabilitation page. Works under this plan have now been completed.
- A Wave Climate Measurement and Modelling Plan which is implemented to determine changes in wave climate due to previous dredging, forecast changes in wave climate due to current dredging, and determine effects of changes in wave climate on shipping, coastal structures and shoreline stability.
- A Shoreline Monitoring Plan that details monitoring of Owen Anchorage twice a year, to detect any unusual patterns of erosion or deposition as well a synthesis reporting every three years to analyse shoreline data in further detail. .
- A Banks and Shoreline Protection and Management Program that addresses the requirements of maintenance of shipping and navigation on the Banks, protection of coastal structure and maintenance of shoreline stability.
- Ongoing mapping of marine habitats in Owen Anchorage, with annual aerial photography to assess the distribution of seagrass meadows and detailed surveys of the seabed every five years.
- A Dredging and Environmental Management Plan for Long-Term Stage 2 dredging, which addresses and measures the effects of turbidity plumes created by dredging in and wash plant activities, including potential impacts on seagrass health.
- A Decommissioning Plan outlining requirements for monitoring following decommissioning of dredge areas
All activities carried out in the EMP are reported in our annual environmental compliance report which is submitted to the Western Australian environmental regulator as a condition of the Ministerial approval.