A silica sands miner is the latest company to move its export operations to the South West to avoid bottlenecks at Perth’s ports.
Heidelberg Materials recently exported a 50,000-plus-tonne cargo of silica sand from Bunbury bound for South Korea where it will be turned into glass for smart phones and other devices.
Previously, Heidelberg had filled 16 ships per year for export from the Kwinana Bulk Terminal with silica sands from its projects on the outskirts of Perth.
But the Kwinana port loader which Heidelberg had been using broke down in mid-2024, which constrained exports from the site.
Heidelberg Materials silica sand program market development manager Phil Green said the deal would aid the company’s expansion.
“This development is expected to further enhance our capabilities and streamline our operations, providing us with more flexibility and efficient shipping options,” he said.
“There’s high demand for silica sand across global markets.
“We’ve started working with Southern Ports to determine how we continue to increase our exports, which have previously been restricted by access to berth space and vessels at other ports.”
Mr Green said Heidelberg was working with Qube and Southern Ports to map out its best export option – its first shipment was offloaded using rotainers.
The company formerly known as Hanson Australia is the second after Kemerton to export silica sands from Bunbury.
Heidelberg’s export via Bunbury follows hot on the heels of Sugar Australia signing a deal with the port to use it as a hub for sugar imports.
Sugar Australia is owned by Singapore’s Wilmar International and produces CSR-label retail products.
Southern Ports chief executive Keith Wilks said the port’s new customers came from a wide range of industries.
“We’ve had a host of new customers at our Port of Bunbury over the past year including the likes of Sugar Australia and Helix Energy Solutions, all with very different requirements and we’ve been able to work closely with them to ensure we can meet their needs.”
“We’re continuously looking at how we can work with our customers to build trade and ensure shipping is moving efficiently, so we’re thrilled when new customers like Heidelberg Materials join us based on what we can offer.”
Some 515,000 tonnes of silica was exported through the Bunbury and Albany ports last year.
