Partnering for Sustainability
O2 Marine’s Role in the Mardie Salt Project
In Australia’s remote northwest, a world-class industrial development is taking shape: BCI Minerals Mardie Salt Operation and Potash Project. Since 2018, O2 Marine has been a trusted environmental partner on this ambitious venture, applying deep expertise in marine and coastal science to support responsible development and long-term environmental stewardship.
O2 Marine (O2M) is an Australian-owned environmental and oceanographic consultancy specialising in coastal and marine services. With a focus on applied science and engineering, regulatory strategy and innovative monitoring solutions, we work across the mining, energy, ports and infrastructure sectors — delivering practical, technically robust outcomes. We operate nationally and internationally from our head office in Fremantle, WA.
A long-term partnership: from greenfield to operations
Our journey with the Mardie Salt Project began in 2018, when the site was an undeveloped stretch of salt-encrusted tidal flats, algal mats, and mangrove coastline. At that early stage, BCI Minerals required comprehensive environmental baseline data to support feasibility studies and secure approvals.
Working alongside BCI Minerals and its engineering partners, O2 Marine led the design and delivery of a multi-year marine and coastal environmental assessment program. Our role has since expanded to support all stages of the project lifecycle — from approvals and construction through to early operations.
Scope of work
The Mardie Salt Project spans a diverse coastal and marine environment, requiring a multidisciplinary approach to understand and manage potential environmental impacts. O2 Marine’s scope of work has included:
- Environmental impact assessments for State and Federal approvals
- Habitat mapping of seagrass, macroalgae, coral, mangrove and algal mat communities
- Ecological health surveys, including mangrove condition, seagrass, and coral health monitoring
- Sawfish and fish surveys, using passive acoustic and net-based sampling
- Marine environmental quality monitoring, including water and sediment sampling for baseline assessments
- Remote water quality monitoring via autonomous sensors across the project area
- Acoustic whale monitoring to track marine mammal activity and migration
- Metocean data acquisition, including wave, tide and current data for modelling and design
- Hydrodynamic and dredge plume modelling for intake, outfall, and dredging strategies
- Hydrographic surveys to support infrastructure design and environmental planning
- Development of environmental management plans, including construction, dredging, and operations EMPs
Enabling responsible development
The Mardie Salt Operation is a tier one solar evaporation project that will supply high-quality industrial salt and sulphate of potash (SOP) for more than 60 years. It harnesses seawater, sun, and wind — with minimal freshwater or external energy input. However, its ecological setting requires careful planning and safeguards.
O2 Marine’s work has been instrumental in helping BCI Minerals secure approvals under the WA Environmental Protection Act and the Commonwealth Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. Our science-based approach, local knowledge, and regulatory experience enabled the project to demonstrate environmental accountability while achieving critical development milestones.
We continue to work with BCI to ensure environmental monitoring and management remains adaptive and responsive — providing confidence to regulators, Traditional Owners and the community.
Benefits to the mining industry
The Mardie Operation exemplifies how integrated environmental science and impact management can enable sustainable industrial development. For the mining and resources sector, O2 Marine’s work illustrates the benefits of early-stage investment in environmental understanding, including:
- Approvals certainty: High-quality baseline data and assessments reduce delays and compliance risks
- Optimised design: Modelling and monitoring inform infrastructure siting and dredging strategies
- Community and regulator confidence: Transparent, science-backed reporting builds trust
- Operational continuity: Real-time monitoring supports proactive risk management
In remote or sensitive locations like Mardie, these capabilities are not just valuable — they’re essential.
Innovation and technology
O2 Marine has introduced several innovative technologies to support the Mardie Operation. Our telemetered, real-time water quality monitoring systems provide BCI with continuous environmental visibility, even in remote areas. Our use of passive acoustic sensors for marine fauna monitoring enables detailed ecological insights without intrusive methods.
By applying smart technologies and data systems, we’ve helped shift environmental monitoring from a compliance task to a proactive project management tool.
Looking ahead
As the Mardie Salt Project transitions from construction to full operation, O2 Marine remains a key environmental advisor and monitoring partner. We continue to evolve our services to support BCI Minerals with adaptive management, long-term performance tracking and digital reporting solutions.
This partnership demonstrates the value of early, integrated and science-driven environmental support — a model that can be applied to major projects across Australia’s mining and resources landscape.
To learn more about O2 Marine’s services, visit www.o2marine.com.au.
