EMO — full service gateway for coal and iron ore
FUTURE BIOMASS HUB FOR THE NETHERLANDS AND GERMANY
Over the years EMO has acquired a strong position in the dry bulk market servicing power plants and the steel industry in North-Western Europe. Today, the EMO deepwater terminal, which can accommodate world’s largest dry bulk carriers with a draught of up to 23 metres, is well positioned to meet developing and changing trends in raw materials logistics.
The EMO terminal for coal and iron ore is located at the Maasvlakte in Rotterdam. Since the EMO terminal was commissioned in 1973, it has been expanded and diversified. Today, EMO’s advanced facilities and technology offer increasingly greater flexibility in meeting new and changing demands in the handling of bulk raw materials. With loading and unloading facilities operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, EMO currently has an unloading capacity of 42mt (million tonnes) and an unrivalled throughput capacity of over 60mt a year. Apart from core business — unloading, storage and loading activities — EMO looks at every opportunity to provide added value for its existing and new customers.
One of these opportunities is the development of solid biomass transshipment and storage for (co)firing at power stations.With its expertise in transshipment logistics, technology and expansion possibilities EMO is ideally situated to handle large volumes of solid biomass.
 
GIANT HANDLING FACILITIES
Giant bulk carriers require giant handling facilities. The EMO quay can accommodate up to four Capesize vessels at the same time. The vessels can be unloaded simultaneously by the wide- span grab unloaders. In addition the EMO floating crane is also used to unload directly into smaller vessels. To guarantee the flexibility and continuity of the terminal EMO will invest in a new, fifth unloader. This 85-tonne unloader, of European origin — and, together with two other EMO unloaders, the largest in the world — will be operational around June 2012 and will create an increase in unloading capacity of around 8mt per year.
Currently coal and iron ore for overseas destinations are loaded at the Amazoneharbour quay into sea-going vessels. A new loader for seagoing vessels will be build at the Mississippiharbour quay to replace the current loader. A new unloading berth served by floating cranes will be operational as from 2012.
 
RAIL LOADING FACILITIES
Large volumes of coal or iron ore are loaded into rail wagons under EMO’s fully automated installations. The exact load of each wagon is determined in the weighing bunker. These installations are directly connected to the European rail network by the dedicated rail cargo line — the Betuwelijn. As from 2006 EMO invested in an upgrading of the coal train loading facility. The new maximum capacity of 11 trains daily has proven to be an adequate answer to current German market demand. To meet the further growth of the market, EMO decided to invest in another similar coal train loading facility. With this investment EMO increases its train loading capacity up to 18 coal trains daily. The new loading facility will come into operation in the middle of this year.
 
EXTENSIVE STOCK AREA
The terminal’s extensive stock area up to 7mt for both coal and iron ore gives the flexibility to handle bulk cargoes for seagoing vessels, inland waterway barges and rail cars. Today, the various storage areas are served by six automated stacker-reclaimers. To handle increasing volumes of coal and iron ore a seventh stacker-reclaimer will be added around June 2012. It is the largest one of its kind in Europe and is capable of reclaiming materials at a rate of up to 4,500 tonnes per hour. Coal is mostly stored in paved stockyards to prevent contamination and when necessary, compacted to prevent spontaneous combustion.
To meet the foreseen growth and additional need for storage capacity, EMO will expand the site with a phased expansion of around 23ha on the Hartelstrip resulting in a storage capacity of 8mt. The Hartelstrip is located opposite the Mississippiharbour. As from 2012, EMO plans to bring into use an area of 11.5ha with railway connection. EMO has an option on the adjacent area of 12ha.
 
POWER PLANTS
On the EMO site, energy corporation Electrabel is building a coal fired power plant. As from 2013, this co-siting between EMO and Electrabel will be operational.
Simultaneously German energy corporation E.ON is also building another coal fired power plant on its site next to EMO. This new power plant will be operational in 2012 and, just like the existing Maasvlakte plant of E.ON, it will be fed directly from EMO through the underground conveyor belt.
 
 
Iron ore terminal for Brazil’s Itaguai
Antaq has approved the project put forward by Rio de Janeiro Port Authority (CDRJ) to put out to concession a 245,400m2 area in the port of Itaguai´ to be used by a private operator as an iron ore terminal. This will require investment of $952 million, with the concession running for 25 years.
The terminal will have a 25mt (million tonne) capacity and potential to raise this to 44mt.
Requests for the terminal to be built have come from producers in Minas Gerais, who currently have to rely on two existing terminals operated by CSN or CVRD. The new facility will be placed between these.    Barry Cross
 
 
Iron ore is the leading dry bulk commodity to pass through Brazil’s ports
Figures released in Brazil reveal that iron ore accounts for 38% of total cargo moved by the nation’s ports in 2010, making it the leading commodity handled. In total, it amounted for 311mt (million tonnes), which was 16.1% higher than in 2009. Last year was also a record one for iron ore, beating the previous record — established in 2008 — by 11%. The country exported 85% of total output, making Brazil the second most important producer behind Australia. It also has the fourth largest reserves, amounting to 29,000mt.
 
BC

 
CVRD invests in major ore handling terminal at the Port of Ponta da Madeira
CVRD is to invest heavily to boost handling capacity at its terminal at the port of Ponta da Madeira from 115mt (million tonnes) per year to 150mt by 2012. This will not only make it Brazil’s largest port, but also a serious rival to Rio Grande, Paranagua´ and Santos. In addition to its main traffic, iron ore, Ponta da Madeira is also expected to attract more soya and maize produced in the north-
east of the country. Most of the investment is needed to build Pier IV, which will be able to accommodate vessels of up to 400,000dwt, and on dredging
to improve draught. It also plans to double-track the existing 115km railway line into the port operated by EFC. Currently, with three operational piers, the port was able to handle 99.1mt last year, up from 91.7mt in 2009.   
 
BC
 
 
Chinese eye Brazil’s Port of Pecem
Chinese investors have visited the Brazilian port of Pece´m with a view to using it to export iron ore to China. They were particularly attracted by the surrounding industrial complex. The delegation was from Shanghai Jimeng Industry.   
 
BC