Almost 200 people gathered to celebrate the opening of Blue Water Shipping's new Queensland depot and distribution hub at a 5.178ha site on Fisherman Islands.
The new facility has enabled the international transport and logistics provider to consolidate its port operations into one location, having occupied casual lease sites at the Port for just over two years.
The facility was delivered by PBPL with Principal Contractor, FKG. It was designed by Sparc Architects and project managed by Johnstaff.
Blue Water Shipping's new landside transport and logistics depot comprises a 15,000sqm warehouse plus a 500sqm administrative building, car parking and over 30,000sqm of hardstand together with a washbay and bond store.
Port of Brisbane Pty Ltd (PBPL) Chief Commercial Officer, David Keir, congratulated all involved.
"We're very pleased to have designed and delivered this high quality, purpose-built facility for Blue Water Shipping in less than 12 months, providing them with a permanent home from which to operate and grow," said Mr Keir.
"Our project teams worked hand-in-glove with Blue Water Shipping throughout the design stage, really testing their user requirements to design the most flexible depot for them and deliver the best possible outcome.
"Ultimately, we've delivered a highly flexible site that helps give Blue Water Shipping a competitive edge in its project cargo work that will ultimately enable them to bring more trade through their port operations and support their growth aspirations."
Blue Water Shipping's Regional Manager Operations for Oceania, Justin Bound, said: "Blue Water Shipping is delighted to take possession of our purpose-built facility on Fisherman's Island. This facility will play a huge part to our local success and will enable further growth across our targeted verticals: Mining, Renewables, Infrastructure, and Conventional Energy. The entire process, from design to construction, has been seamless, thanks to PBPL, Johnstaff, and FKG's collaborative approach."
As is standard in all new PBPL property developments, the Blue Water Shipping depot and distribution hub was delivered to a 5-star equivalent sustainability rating.
It incorporated sustainable design elements including a 99kW rooftop solar system, Enviroconcepts water treatment system, low carbon concrete in the car park and warehouse dado panels, and a highly efficient steel frame design that reduced overall steel tonnage.
Overall, the sustainability initiatives incorporated into the project achieved an approximate 11% reduction in embodied carbon (approximately 1,464 tonnes CO2 savings).
Construction commenced in January 2024 and was completed in November 2024.