Dredging of Port of Broome begins

Works to dredge the Port of Broome to provide cruise vessels all-tide access into the tourist town at any time of day or night are due to begin today.

The $15.3 million Channel Optimisation Project was set to be completed in about two weeks and would see tens of thousands of cubic metres of sand and sandstone rock emptied deeper into the channel to attract more passenger ships and tourism numbers into Broome.

The plan was first announced by the McGowan Government in 2017 to help bolster the State’s cruising industry.

An update on the Kimberley Port Authority website last month stated that environmental management and monitoring activities would occur throughout the project to ensure minimal impact to marine life and fauna.

The website stated that areas directly surrounding dredging and disposal activities would have “a visible plume that may be seen from the shoreline.”

More in tomorrow’s Broome Advertiser.