Project record

Nauru Aiwo Port climate-resilient redevelopment

Aerial view of a cargo vessel alongside Aiwo Port's new wharf, with container yards and the old phosphate-loading structures behind

Nauru Maritime and Port Authority

Aiwo's wharf, fuel pipeline and reverse-osmosis plant are operating. A monitoring report released in July 2026 says dredging was 78% complete by June 2025, the northern-yard interim apron was at 97% and all buildings had been handed over, but ADB's current project page still carries a broader unfinished-work list.

Project signal

Construction in Nauru

Current status ADB still lists the project as active. Its July 2026 monitoring report records 78% dredging, 97% of the northern-yard interim apron complete and all buildings handed over at the end of June 2025, while the current project page still lists full dredging and buildings among awaited items Source confidence Confirmed

Location

Nauru / Global islands

Segment

Port infrastructure

Status

ADB still lists the project as active. Its July 2026 monitoring report records 78% dredging, 97% of the northern-yard interim apron complete and all buildings handed over at the end of June 2025, while the current project page still lists full dredging and buildings among awaited items / Confirmed

Last checked

19 July 2026

Coverage

Related sectors

Port infrastructure is the primary work classification. Related sectors connect this record to adjacent marine delivery and market coverage.

Subject index

Related subjects

These subject pages bring together related projects, technical articles, reports, and evidence methods.

Project anatomy

Contract scope and delivery roles

Client / authority
Government of Nauru, Ministry of Finance and Nauru Maritime and Port Authority
Delivery parties
China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd., Cardno Emerging Markets (Australia) Pty Ltd., GHD
Contract route
ADB records the redevelopment civil contract awarded to China Harbour Engineering Company on 7 December 2018 through Grants 0564, 0565 and 0566, with contract tranches of USD 15.80 million, USD 9.33 million and USD 21.48 million. Cardno received the USD 1.81 million supervision contract, and NMPA identifies GHD as independent auditor. The current record shows awarded delivery and remaining construction, not an open prime tender.
Execution window
Construction began in 2019. ADB records the new wharf operating from 3 September 2022, the fuel pipeline from 12 September 2023 and the reverse-osmosis plant handed over on 29 September 2023. The monitoring report covering January to June 2025 records dredging at 78%, the northern-yard interim apron at 97%, all buildings handed over and southern-yard work complete except for the fire-pump system. ADB still lists the project as active and shows the main grants closing on 31 December 2026.
Works package
The programme covers a climate-resilient wharf, berth pocket, breakwater and bank protection; container yards; internal roads; warehouses, offices and security buildings; power, communications, fire, water and drainage services; and realignment of the national seawater-desalination intake. ADB's environmental plan describes a 160-by-30-metre wharf, about 12,000 square metres of harbour-basin dredging and about 150,000 cubic metres of excavation. The fuel package comprises two buried DN200 lines over about 756 metres, with wharf manifolds and a tie-in to the existing foreshore pipeline. NMPA's -11 metre basin depth remains a target until supported by an accepted survey.
Marine interfaces
The working wharf, two fuel lines, Southern Container Yard and reverse-osmosis system share a live waterfront with unfinished dredging and northern-yard work. Cargo operations, work vessels, dredging, rock placement, utility protection and access therefore have to be sequenced without treating a functioning berth or handed-over buildings as proof that the whole port has reached close-out.
Commercial evidence boundary
The main civil and supervision contracts are already awarded. The July 2026 report narrows the remaining physical focus to dredging, northern-yard completion, the fire-pump system, defects close-out and demobilization, alongside safeguards and resettlement. Any downstream package should be tied to a dated notice from ADB, the Government of Nauru, NMPA or the named contractor.

Project timeline

Material developments

Dated events that changed scope, counterparties, delivery, commissioning or operating status.

Open this project in the Change Log

ADB grant data still shows an active project

The main grants now close on 31 December 2026. ADB reports the wharf, pipelines, southern yard and reverse-osmosis plant complete, while the northern yard, roads, sheds, buildings and full berth-pocket dredging remain outstanding.

Source

Micronesian Ocean berthed at Aiwo

The call demonstrates that the new wharf is handling a Nauru-owned container vessel. It does not close the remaining dredging, yard, road or building scope.

Source

Monitoring report measures remaining dredging and yard work

The report released in July 2026 records dredging at 78%, the northern-yard interim apron at 97%, all buildings handed over and only the fire-pump system outstanding in the southern yard at the reporting cutoff.

Source

Reverse-osmosis plant handed over

The water-system component entered service after the fuel pipeline, creating an operating marine-utility interface while other port works continued.

Source

Evidence gap

What remains unverified

Outstanding evidence

  • Accepted as-built depth and completion of berth-pocket dredging
  • Northern Container Yard revetment and pavement completion
  • Fire-pump installation, road and shed completion and defects close-out
  • Reconciliation of ADB's current unfinished-work list with the building handover record
  • Aggregate and armour-rock production for remaining works
  • Wharf, fender, bollard and breakwater inspection records
  • Reverse-osmosis intake and fuel-pipeline operating reliability
  • Permanent housing, safeguard close-out and grant closure

Related records 2

Reporting status

Construction, confirmed confidence

Last checked 19 July 2026 across 9 cited sources. The dated timeline above carries the project events.

Last checked 19 July 2026 Cited sources 9

Sources and related records

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Source collections

Project sources 9