Darwin port faces copper contamination inquiry

Source: www.lloydslistdcn.com.au
The Northern Territory News, quoting a whistleblower, estimated a possible escape rate of up to 20 tonnes a year.
The port has admitted to two incidents but does not believe any environmental damage has occurred.
In November, OzMinerals copper concentrate which was drier than usual arrived at the port and this had resulted in a dust plume.
In January, caked ore on the conveyor had been seen dropping into the water, despite the conveyor having been cleaned after a ship had left.
"It is important to me that we operate responsibly and without harm to the environment or workers at the port," chief executive Robert Richie said.
"We will cooperate fully with any inquiries into the two incidents because it is in the interests of both the port and all port operators to have the best systems in place that we possibly can.
"However, to provide some context, both issues referred to in the media took place some time ago and, in conjunction with the operator, we have already taken some serious and urgent action to improve procedures covering the export of bulk minerals."
The port had moved to mitigate the escape of dust in that time, with the conveyor belt now enclosed, the conveyor system redesigned so dust would not cake on it, chutes cleaned after every ship call, dust suppression techniques employed and an industrial vacuum sweeper used in the wharf area.
"We are planning a number of other measures, including a major redesign of East Arm Wharf which will include a complete drainage plan and bunds to capture any storm water run off," Richie said.
"We expect work on this to start before the end of the year.
"In January, we commissioned environmental consultancy Coffey Environments to review our Environmental Management Plan and provide independent advice on anything we can do to improve procedures," he said.

Source: Lloyd's List Daily Commercial News - www.lloydslistdcn.com.au