Tackling global challenges with shipyard success
Gold Coast City Marina & Shipyard is showing how sustainable shipyard initiatives can work in the long run in their goal of a circular economy.
After partnering with the Centre for a Waste Free World at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), the ‘Closing the Loop’ project was established in July 2021 to help the shipyard create a model of production and consumption that shares, leases, reuses, repairs, refurbishes and recycles existing materials and products for as long as possible.
Luke McCaul, General Manager of Customers Experience and Property Management for Gold Coast City Marina & Shipyard (GCCM), said they are proud of the Level 3 Clean Marina, Fish Friendly Marina and the globally recognised 5 Gold Anchor Accreditations through the Marina Industries Associations.
“GCCM have always led the way in sustainable shipyard initiatives like solar and water harvesting,” he said.
“We also partnered with the Seabin Project, meaning we have one of the first Seabins in our marina.”
Key stakeholders within the shipyard, environmental industry leaders, local and state government representatives and QUT researchers gathered at the first workshop, held in August, to discuss the issues with current waste streams and find solutions.
QUT established a report based on the material discussed at the workshop, with options to address each current and future challenge GCCM will face.
GCCM is currently in the second phase of the project, focusing on implementation and promotion, with the shipyard having established a presence on the ASPIRE platform where it has begun trading and selling materials.
The project has also recently been successfully put to the test, with an end-of-life 15-tonne vessel coming to GCCM to be deconstructed and disposed of, with roughly 50-per-cent of the materials going into recycling and with a carbon emission saving of 66.2 tonnes — equal to 81.1 acres of forests saved, according to the Environmental Protections Agency.
Another workshop will be held at the end of November to focus on education and the implementation of processes of activities designed to drive a cultural shift in the industry.
While there will always be more to do in terms of environmental conservation, especially with close proximity to waterways, GCCM has taken a major step with this change to reduce its waste and ultimately, its environmental impact.
Check out some other news about Gold Coast City Marina & Shipyard here.
Interested in reading about the environments that projects like this are trying to protect? Read about the Coral Sea Marine Region here.