The Coast Guard Mooloolaba, Queensland, Australia, announced today that the dredge vessel CSD NAVUA has arrived at the entrance to commence dredging operations.
According to the Coast Guard, the latest hydrographic survey of the Mooloolah River and its coastal bar showed the entrance channel generally has depths in excess of the 2.5 meters design depth at Lowest Astronomical Tide.
However, a shoal patch is extending from the end of the eastern breakwater in a westerly direction across the entrance channel’s red sector and has a least depth of 2.3 meters.
The Coast Guard also added that CSD Navua is on station and will be undertaking dredging operations, weather permitting.
The Mooloolaba harbour and entrance training walls were built in the late 1960’s. Since that time, sand shoaling events have occurred periodically in the entrance channel.
In the past, shoaling events were infrequent, occurring every few years, with intervals of 3-5 years or longer. In the last 10-15 years shoaling events have become more frequent.
The most recent shoaling event, which took place from February 2022 to June 2022, required continuous dredging and had a significant impact on navigational access.
Local Sunshine Coast contractor, Hall Contracting, is currently contracted to dredge the channel entrance.