Arabic version: أصوات المجتمع تعبر عن القلق بشأن مشروع رمال بوسكاليس في غرب أستراليا

A proposed marine sand sourcing operation by Boskalis Australia in the Cambridge Gulf has sparked significant opposition in Western Australia’s East Kimberley region. Local residents express frustration over what they perceive as insufficient consultation regarding the project, which aims to dredge 70 million cubic metres of sand for export to Asia.

According to ABC News, the project received conditional approval from the WA Environmental Protection Authority late last year. However, community members feel blindsided by the lack of engagement from the company. Fisherman Brad Pasfield, who attended recent public meetings, voiced concerns about the potential environmental impacts and the need for better communication from Boskalis.

Boskalis has acknowledged the community’s dissatisfaction, with general manager Alwin van den Bosch admitting that the company’s communication efforts have fallen short. He emphasized that the company has been conducting a stakeholder consultation process since 2022 but recognized that earlier public meetings would have been beneficial. Van den Bosch asserted that the operation would not have significant environmental impacts, citing natural sand replenishment in the area.

The proposed operation would involve a vessel operating in the gulf for a total of 52 days per year, self-loading sand for one or two days each fortnight. The plan includes dredging from a 100-square-kilometre area, with the seabed expected to be about one metre lower after 15 years of operation. However, the company claims that the natural inflow of sand from tributaries will help replenish the area.

As the appeals process continues, the Office of the Appeals Convenor is expected to make recommendations to the WA environment minister this year, determining the future of the controversial project in the Cambridge Gulf.