en.Wedoany.com Reported - Australia's BCI Minerals is advancing the Mardie Salt and Potash Project in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, with its supporting port infrastructure works 95% complete. The company has also initiated procedures to rename Cape Preston West Port to Mardie Port.

Located 80 kilometers south of Karratha, Mardie Port is being developed as a multi-user facility with a designed annual export capacity of approximately 20 million tonnes, primarily for bulk commodities such as salt and potash. The Mardie project is expected to produce 5.35 million tonnes of high-quality industrial salt for export annually, along with 140,000 tonnes of sulfate of potash, with an operational lifespan exceeding 60 years.

To ensure Mardie Port can be opened to other resource companies, BCI has initiated discussions with regulators regarding the potential export of iron ore. Dredging works are scheduled to commence this quarter and are expected to be completed as planned by early September. This work involves dredging the berth basin and navigation channel, a critical step for enabling loading by deep-sea ocean-going vessels.

Piling works commenced this quarter. As of the end of June, 7 out of 10 navigation aids had been installed, and berthing piling for the wharf head began in early July. Additionally, construction of the self-discharging transfer vessel, Mardie Spirit, also started this quarter.

Regarding the pilot plant, BCI stated that two potash industry experts have been appointed to oversee preliminary engineering design and capital cost estimation. Following a competitive evaluation, the front-end engineering design contract has been awarded to Bluestar Lehigh Engineering Institute. Procurement activities are progressing in parallel with the FEED study, and the construction contract is expected to be awarded in the third quarter of this year.