Technicians suspended on ropes have completed nine consecutive nights of at-height inspections on Liverpool’s 138m St Johns Beacon, requiring night-time closure of surrounding city centre streets. Rope access teams inspected exposed concrete and structural steelwork on the tower’s shaft and viewing pod, carrying out non-destructive testing to assess material condition and any localised deterioration. Findings will inform future maintenance and potential strengthening strategies for the 1960s structure, where access constraints make rope techniques more practical than large temporary scaffolds or crane platforms.

BHP has agreed a US$2 billion deal with Global Infrastructure Partners, now part of BlackRock, to restructure its 85% share of the Western Australia Iron Ore (WAIO) inland power network in the Pilbara via a dedicated trust. The transaction separates power infrastructure ownership from mining operations across WAIO’s four main joint ventures, signalling a shift towards third‑party capital for high‑voltage transmission and generation assets. For mine planners and electrical engineers, the move points to longer‑term, utility‑style management of load growth, decarbonisation projects and network reliability.

Mineral Resources has begun full operations at its Onslow Iron port facilities at the Port of Ashburton, using purpose-built transhippers to move ore from a 220,000t enclosed storage facility to deep-water capesize vessels offshore. The system is designed for low-dust handling, with covered conveyors and a fully enclosed shiploader feeding 20,000t transhippers that shuttle to a 25m-deep anchorage. For port, civil and materials engineers, the project showcases large-scale, low-footprint iron ore export using off‑shore loading rather than traditional long trestle wharves.