Vigan — Belgium-made production for accurate control
Belgium-based VIGAN Engineering S.A. is more than just a manufacturer of shiploaders/unloaders, but is also a global solutions provider for port development projects.
From initial consulting of VIGAN’s UK subsidiary AS-C Projects Ltd. experts up to commissioning,VIGAN is able to deliver whole turnkey terminals including a wide range of equipment and auxiliary devices thanks to its network of business partners.
 
AMONG SUCH ACHIEVEMENTS:
  • The F.A.P. grain and fertilizer terminals in Pakistan including one continuous ship unloader (CSU) of pneumatic type NIV 600tph (tonnes per hour) + one CSU of mechanical type SIMPORTER 1,000tph + conveyors + bagging stations + flat storage + civil works & engineering;
  • S.D.T.V grain and fertilizer terminals in Djibouti including two CSUs of pneumatic type NIV 300tph + 1 mobile harbor crane + conveyors + stationary and mobile bagging stations + flat storage + two mobile pneumatic conveyors T100D + civil work and engineering.
  • VIGAN also delivered a few years ago two special mobile hoppers on rubber wheels with three bagging lines, last summer SDTV ordered three additional mobile bagging lines.
  • The French port of Se`te with one mechanical shiploader (800tph) and one CSU of pneumatic type (400tph);
  • The Dry Bulk Terminal of Muuga Port in Estonia, with fertilizer handling and storage facilities including rail unloading station + belt conveyors and dome storage silos, recently choose again VIGAN’s UK subsidiary AS-C Projects Limited based in Stockport, England for carrying out the third phase of expansion to its terminal. This third phase of expansion includes three new dome storage silos (total additional storage of 27,400 tonnes) plus associated intake and outloading belt conveyor systems. Completion is scheduled for June 2013.
 
VIGAN MASTERS BOTH PNEUMATIC AND MECHANICAL TECHNOLOGIES:
  • The NIV-named pneumatic continuous ship unloaders, themain advantages of which include: very little manpower is needed (one single operator); excellent hold cleaning efficiency; capacity variability from 160tph to 800tph; and its easy and low-cost maintenance. 
    Two ‘NIV 600tph’ units are about to be shipped to Jeddah port in Saudi Arabia. v The mechanical ‘SIMPORTER’ is well adapted for vessels up to
  • Post-Panamax size and offers very high-capacity requirements of up to 1,500tph. It has the lowest energy consumption rate per unloaded tonne (0.2–0.45kWh/tonne) and is even more environment-friendly (no dust with a totally enclosed conveying, no noise, no material degradation as it is gently conveyed by a twin-belt system).
    Two units with a capacity of 1,000tph each are going to be commissioned in Tianjin port in China during this winter.
The diversity of VIGAN’s range of equipment is key to the company’s ability to offer high quality solutions to any project requirements, whether pneumatic or mechanical is preferred, or even a combination of both.
From the alloyed steels — which are produced by a sister company — used for all the metallic structures and parts, up to the pre-assembly in the factory,VIGAN’s production remains Belgium-made.
This guarantees a most accurate control of the entire machine manufacturing and enables an easier and faster-response time after-sales support.
 
 
Euroports offers strong portfolio of bulk terminals in Belgium
In Belgium, Euroports is currently handling dry bulk on its sites in Antwerp, Ghent and Lie`ge & Charleroi.
In Antwerp, an annual volume of about 4.5mt (million tonnes) of fertilizers and minerals are handled at quay 168. In addition to handling seagoing vessels, trucks, containers, barges and trains for bulk goods, the 320,000m2 site also offers a wide range of value-added services such as bagging, sieving and weighing. With 160,000m2    of covered warehouses, Euroports terminals Antwerp is a major player in the storage and handling of fertilizers and minerals. The second of Euroports’ bulk terminals in Antwerp is located at quay 518. The sugar terminal offers the largest storage area for white crystal sugar in the world, with a capacity for 290,000 tonnes. In 2012 a new bulk loading station for containers was inaugurated to further the growth in service offering. On its third bulk location in Antwerp, at Quay 54, Euroports handles currently only kaolin.
At Euroports’ Ghent facilities, over 1mt of fertilizers, minerals and chemicals are handled. The site, with over 200,000 tonnes storage capacity, can, in addition to handling bulk products, also handle general cargo. Value-added services such as weighing and sieving are an integral part of Euroports’ bulk supply chain solutions.
Located more in the hinterland, in the Lie`ge region of Belgium, Euroports Inland Terminals offers five locations for bulk handling: Lie`ge – Renory – Seraing – Loe¨n and Couillet. On these sites a different product range is being handled: ferroalloys, minerals and waste products. In addition, Euroports Inland Terminals also offers contract logistics solutions and works on behalf of its clients on their sites in the region. A total of 5.5mt is handled on these sites on an annual basis.
Besides these bulk operations Euroports offers the entire package of transport services: barging, trucking, customs formalities, agency and sea chartering. Container freights can be organized by Manuport Logistics, Euroports’ in house container expedition company.
This wide variety of services makes Euroports a great partner in maritime supply chain solutions.
 
 
Class approved underwater hull repairs in Belgium and Uruguay
Recently Hydrex teams of diver/technicians mobilized to a 164m ro-ro vessel berthed in Antwerp, Belgium and a 235m bulker at anchor in Punta Del Este, Uruguay to perform underwater hull repairs. Despite the smaller scale of these operations they are nonetheless vital for shipowners if they want to avoid unscheduled drydock visits for their vessels.
Hydrex on-site hull repair services include the renewal of both small and large areas of damaged hull plating. These repairs can be carried out above or below water, according to the circumstances, with tailor-made mobdocks. Normal commercial activities can therefore continue without disruption. These operations follow the Hydrex procedure for welding cracks and inserts in the vessel's shell plating and they are approved by the major classification societies.
Hydrex diver/technician teams carry out these on-site hull repairs all over the world. In most cases the damaged area can be replaced with a permanent insert and no condition of class is imposed. On the rare occasions where the damage does not allow such a repair, as was the case in Uruguay, a temporary doubler plate is installed over the affected area.This allows the owners to keep to their schedule and have a permanent repair carried out during the next scheduled drydock visit.
 
PERMANENT INSERT REPAIR IN ANTWERP
A cavitation hole needed to be repaired in the shell plating of a 164m ro-ro during the ship’s stop in Antwerp. A Hydrex diver/technician team therefore carried out a detailed inspection of both the onboard as well as the water side of the shell plating, after which they installed a cofferdam over the affected area.
This allowed them to remove the frame covering the damage and cut away a round area with a diameter of 300mm. Next they positioned a new insert plate of the same dimensions and secured it with a full penetration weld. An independent tester
then carried out ultrasonic testing and the repair was approved by the Lloyd’s Register surveyor who was present during the operation. The diver/technicians then reinstalled the frame and removed the cofferdam, concluding the repair.
 
AFLOAT DOUBLER PLATE INSTALLATION IN URUGUAY
Hydrex was contacted to install a doubler plate over a grounding-related crack located on the flat bottom area of the first port side ballast tank of a 235m bulker in Punta Del Este. After arriving in Uruguay, a diver/technician team set up a workstation on a workboat and sailed to the location of the vessel.
A detailed inspection revealed that the L-shaped crack was 480mm long and between 4mm and 8mm wide. In the area of impact, a 250mm deep and 25m long indent was also found. In the ballast tank, the team then removed the frames that had bent during the grounding. This allowed the diver/technicians to access the damage and make crack arrests on both sides to prevent the crack from spreading further. The team then installed a doubler plate over the crack on the water side as well as the in board side. The vessel could sail safely until the next scheduled drydocking where permanent repairs will be carried out.
Repairs of this kind can only be done rapidly and successfully by trained divers/technicians who are familiar with them and who have the relevant know-how to resolve all of the technical difficulties encountered during underwater operations. This is why all Hydrex technical staff from all offices undergo stringent training after which they are able to perform a wide range of operations. Throughout these operations they stayed in close communication with each other and with the technical department in the office. This allowed them to finish these jobs within the shortest possible time frame and to a very high standard.