Leighton Holdings subsidiary Thiess and a Belgian company have jointly won a $260 million contract to develop a port in north Western Australia.

Thiess and Belgian company BESIX SA will design and develop a breakwater and materials offloading facility as part of the Chevron-operated Wheatstone liquefied natural gas project (LNG).

The contract is expected to create more than 300 jobs.

The majority of the new work would be based in Onslow, in the north of WA, and 80 per cent of the work under the contract would take place in Australia, Leighton said in a statement.

“This partnership creates a new specialist marine capability to support the booming LNG sector and continues our involvement in the industry,” Thiess managing director Bruce Munro said in a statement on Monday.

Work on the project is due to commence later this year.

Thiess is currently completing two contracts for Chevron on the Gorgon LNG Project at Barrow Island offshore from northern WA.

AA