Port of Ehoala—Planning of a Multi-Use Facility

The island country of Madagascar is rich in natural resources such as the mineral sand ilmenite (titanium dioxide), which is used as a pigment in the production of paints, coatings and plastics. International mining group Rio Tinto plc is now mining ilmenite deposits located near the town of Fort Dauphin (Tolagnaro) in the southeastern part of the country for export to processing facilities in North America. Existing infrastructure in the region was severely limited and a new port was needed, one capable of initially exporting a minimum of 750,000 metric tonnes/yr. The construction of the new port is a public/private partnership between Rio Tinto and the World Bank and forms part of a total 1 billion USD development with major stakeholders including the Government of Madagascar, World Bank, and Rio Tinto. W.F. Baird & Associates Ltd. (Baird) was the engineer for the greenfield port project responsible for the planning, design, and construction management of the new 145 million USD Port of Ehoala. The new port is comprised of five main elements: breakwater, quay, dredging and reclamation, navigation works, and other coastal structures. This paper will present challenges and solutions related to the planning of the port.