to 80 million tonnes at a cost of A$952 million. The port is scheduled to undergo a further expansion to be completed by 2012. The new expansion is scheduled to cost A$276 million. The expansion is part of a plan to raise Rio Tinto's annual production from the Pilbara from 220 to 330 million tonnes annually by 2016. To achieve this, the Cape Lambert port capacity will be expanded to handle an additional 100 million tonnes annually. The wharf at Cape Lambert stretches for 2.7 km, built to a minimum of 17.87metres above the water. It is the tallest in Australia. The wharf holds or shares every Australian bulk handling records. The iron ore cargo loading facility is operated by Robe River Mining Company (owned by the Rio Tinto Group). The terminals at Port Walcott (Cape Lambert), East Intercourse Island and Parker Point (at Dampier) are together operated by the Department of Transport. The port itself is an open water port and the Cape Lambert wharf is exposed to strong cross currents due up to over 5 metres of tidal movement. Six RA Star 3200 tugs are used by the facility to assist vessels in berthing and unberthing operations. The terminal consists of 8 berths 4 ship loaders 5 car dumpers 4 million tonnes of live stockpile capacity This has been expanded in the recent years to a capacity of 80 mtpa Expansion Projects In 2010 Rio Tinto announced $US200 million (A$226.4 million) in funding to begin expanding its Cape Lambert port facilities as part of a wider expansion of its Pilbara iron ore operations. The port expansion will support increasing the export capacity of Rio's Pilbara operations to 330 million tonnes a year by 2016. Rio also proposed an additional 1.8 km, four-berth jetty and wharf at Cape Lambert to increase its current annual capacity of 80 million tonnes by a further 100 million tonnes. The expansion will be staged, rising to 225 million tonnes a year by the first quarter of 2011, 230 million tonnes by the second quarter of 2012, and 280 million tonnes by 2014. Expansion Management Sinclair Knight Merz (SKM), has been appointed as the Engineering, Procurement and Construction Management contractor for the expansion of Rio Tinto's Cape Lambert port facility, including the delivery of a new greenfields iron ore port facility, Cape Lambert Port B, located alongside the existing Cape Lambert port. New Jetty