Leighton Holdings Ltd-owned (ASX: LEI) John Holland Group said on Monday that it has secured a $276 million contract that would see the construction of a new port set to serve Rio Tinto Ltd's Cape Lambert Port B project in Western Australia.

The company said that the deal calls for the building of a 920 metre jetty and two-berth wharf, new ship loading facilities with additional piping works closely related to the construction project.

The contract, according to John Holland managing director Glenn Palin, is a testament to the company's vast expertise in constructing marine extension works for major mining firms, adding that the agreement effectively underscored "the value of our internal collaborative model for clients looking to develop large and complex construction projects."

Mr Palin said that the new project also marked the fusion of "the specialist skills of our Energy & Resources business with the civil construction skills of our Western Region business."

John Holland said that work on the project is set to commence very soon and the new port for use in the Cape Lambert iron ore facility should be operational by the latter part of 2012.