Setting a new benchmark in land reclamation
Port of Brisbane leverages an accurate and efficient approach with MGN Civil and Trimble technology
Customer Profile: Founded in 2015, Queensland-based MGN Civil is a marine civil contractor that provides services throughout Australia. Projects range from large breakwaters and seawalls to land reclamation, ground improvement, surcharging, bulk earthworks, remediation and working in soft soils.
Business Challenge: Install prefabricated vertical drains quickly and easily to support land reclamation efforts.
Solution:
Benefits:
- Speed of deployment
- Improved accuracy of wick positioning
- Accurate records of wick depth and position
The Port of Brisbane's ambitious Future Port Expansion project is a monumental reclamation effort aimed at creating about 224 hectares of new land on the artificial Fisherman Island. This vast initiative involves moving hundreds of thousands of cubic meters of material and installing millions of meters of prefabricated vertical drains, essential for drying out the subsurface materials to ensure the stability of the new land.
Andrew Schweitzer, the general manager for MGN Civil, highlighted the challenges faced with conventional methods of wick drain installation, which lacked accuracy and made quality control difficult over the extensive number of installations required. In response to the need for a more accurate and automated solution, the port owners turned to MGN Civil, a Queensland-based marine contractor known for tackling complex civil projects, in 2017.
MGN Civil's innovative approach involved the development of a custom excavator equipped with Trimble machine control software. This solution, introduced five years ago, has significantly advanced the progress on the Port of Brisbane, setting a new standard for accuracy and efficiency in land reclamation projects.
The land reclamation process at Queensland’s Fisherman Island is intricate and lengthy. It began with constructing a perimeter rock wall and followed with dredging material from the Brisbane River into large paddocks — a process that took more than two years. Subsequent steps involve dredging sand from Moreton Bay and installing prefabricated vertical drains deep into the ground in a specific pattern to facilitate the drying of the subsurface materials.
MGN Civil's collaboration with the equipment manufacturer led to the creation of the Komatsu PC850 Prefabricated Vertical Drain (PVD) excavator, one of the most advanced rigs of its kind capable of reaching depths up to 60 meters. To complement this hardware, MGN Civil sought a software solution to enable accurate positioning and depth measurement of the wick drains, turning to SITECH Construction Systems, the Trimble dealer in Australia, for assistance.
Equipped with Trimble Groundworks Machine Control System, the PVD excavator could position the drains within 50 mm of their planned locations, significantly improving the accuracy of installations. This technology has enabled MGN Civil to install over 600 drains per day, with a success rate of over 99.5% across more than 80,000 drains in their most recent campaign.
The Trimble Groundworks Machine Control System not only ensures accuracy in drain placement but also records pressure readings in real time as the drains are installed, allowing for efficient monitoring and quality control. This has streamlined operations for MGN Civil, contributing to the successful completion of multiple reclamation campaigns at the Port of Brisbane.
MGN Civil's pioneering work on the Future Port Expansion project exemplifies the potential of GNSS technology to transform traditional construction practices. The partnership between MGN Civil and Trimble, through the local SITECH Solutions partner, has delivered a solution that meets the project's requirements for accuracy and automation, setting a benchmark for future land reclamation efforts worldwide.