With today’s depressed shipping market and the recession we are facing, buyers and sellers are focusing on seeking logistical improvements, as being the only area where efficiency developments and sustainable cost reduction could produce long lasting and significant improvements. Therefore, floating facilities are now being taken seriously as viable — high value; faster realization; low profile; lower investment — alternatives to the shore-based infrastructure. This paper deals with the latest offshore cargo handling equipment designed for efficiency, reliability and availability. This is demonstrated by way of two case studies.
Solutions for logistic supply chain are almost infinite, but all require a solid knowledge of the market, the material and how it is to be handled, local environmental conditions, economics and the technical expertise to combine all of these factors to produce a solution that delivers value to the client. The last decade has seen the evolvement of various types of floating facilities. These have been deployed for various usages like loading, discharging, lightering etc. the most common ones are however used for offshore loading of dry bulk cargo, mainly coal.
The operating conditions of such floating facilities are more demanding, i.e. exposure to high winds and waves in open water conditions, therefore the relative cargo handling facilities require higher safety standards, since they are subjected to higher acceleration forces as compared to cranes operating on shore or in sheltered water conditions.
This brings about a fundamental difference in the cargo handling design and selection, which have to be designed specifically for ‘heavy-duty operation, in open seas’.
PRINCESSE ABBYThe floating crane Princesse Abby is owned by PT MITRA/SWIRE CTM Indonesia, a JV between PT Mitra Bahtera Segarasejati and SwireCTM Bulk Logistics. Floating crane Princesse Abby commenced coal transshipment operations on November 2008 at the Muara Pantai anchorage in the Sulawesi Sea (East Kalimantan) on behalf of PT Berau Coal; then, in August 2011, she moved to Bontang Anchorage after having signed a new coal transshipment contract with Banpu Minerals.
Since the beginning of operations, Princesse Abby has loaded 141 vessels of Panamax and Capesize, transshipping about over 9mt (million tonnes), starring a best performance rate of about 28,000 tonnes per day.
Princesse Abby was designed by Logmarin/Interprogetti, and built under Registro Italiano Navale (RINA) classification and Logmarin supervision. Princesse Abby’s hull structure is made by duly reinforced longitudinal frame with spoon bow, inclined stern and two skegs aft. Bilge keels are fitted on each side to the extent of about three quarters of the length of the pontoon; structural anti-rolling fins are also fitted in way of the stern skegs. It is equipped with movement damping devices and suitable dynamic factors to bear stress and fatigue resulting from continued heavy duty work in open seas have been developed and incorporated in the Princesse Abby’s design, making it less sensitive to adverse weather conditions as compared with standard floating cranes.
The crane is designed and supplied by Liebherr through mastering proven technologies in design and operation of offshore transshipment systems. It incorporates specific features for open water and heavy duty conditions such as: duly designed
heavy duty hoisting winches, strengthened boom, the slew bearings conceived with triple roller and four equally distributed slewing motors (thus to minimize the risk of breakdown to one of the most critical component of the crane), four-rope grab configuration, heel and trim alarm systems, thus ensuring high turnover, efficient and effortless loading/unloading from most types of vessels up to modern Capesize, as well as smooth and wider life cycle time.
PRINCESSE CHLOEPrincesse Chloe was delivered in April 2011 from Keppel Subic Shipyard and started coal transshipment operations at the Muara Pantai anchorage in the Sulawesi Sea (East Kalimantan) for PT Berau Coal.
In 2011, Princesse Chloe loaded 41 vessels between Panamax and Capesize, handling about 3.6mt, with an average daily loading rate up to about 47,000 tonnes of coal, and achieving a best performance rate of about 56,000 tonnes daily. It has an annual capacity exceeding 9.5mt. Princesse Chloe is equipped with two Liebherr cranes of heavy duty offshore four rope type, each with a capacity of 30 tonnes. They have been fitted with Peiner Smag grabs of 20.5m3 capacity. The cranes are strategically placed in such a way with respect to the hoppers so as to minimize the slewing movement, thereby increasing the cycle time and efficiency. These heavy duty cranes are specifically designed for offshore operations, which means they are more robust in construction and are able to perform even in adverse weather conditions. They are guaranteed to operate up to two metres of wave height and 25 knots wind speed. Thanks to their outreach of 28 metres, their operational area is considerably increased, so that they can handle up to modern Capesize vessels.
The cargo handling system supplied by Bedeschi consists of two duly designed hoppers and an array of conveyor systems leading to a telescopic/shuttle ship-loader. The hoppers are of 50m3 volume with a top opening sufficient to accommodate the footprint of the large grabs in use. The trunk-pyramidal shaped hoppers have asymmetrical walls to ensure the smooth flow of coal through the hoppers into the transfer chute. The hoppers are fitted with vibrators to ensure free flow of sticky coal, in order to maintain the required flow rate. The top of the hoppers are fitted with mesh grill to eliminate any over size or undesirable material which may potentially damage or block the conveyor system. Moreover, two additional features are installed on the hoppers aimed to avoid pollution — which are hydraulically operated spill plates and a water sprinkler de-dusting system. The spill plates are installed on the sea side of the hoppers and are opened during cargo operations to cover with gap between the floating terminal and coal barge, thereby
eliminating any chances of coal spillage. The water sprinkler system is installed on top of the hoppers to suppress the coal dust during grab delivery. The swivelling capability of the shiploader facilitates serving multiple holds of the oceangoing vessels without the need to shift the Princesse Chloe alongside. The luffing mechanism of the shiploader is used to cater to the difference in the air draught of the ocean going vessel at ballast to fully laden condition.
Coal from each of the hoppers is extracted by means of individual variable speed belt feeders. These frequency- controlled feeders extract coal from the hoppers and transfer it to the longitudinal conveyor. The belt width of the feeders is kept high and the speed is low to ensure uniform extraction of coal from the hoppers. Another conveyor then transports the coal longitudinally through the length of the floating terminal through to transfer point a transverse conveyor, which will help in crossing over the entire beam of the terminal and be led to the final conveyor leading to the shiploader. The inclinations of all the conveyors have been designed in accordance to the grade of coal to be handled in order to achieve smooth flow of cargo and avoid back flow. Special care is taken in the design of the transfer points to ensure no blockage occurs and the material flows smoothly. All the conveyors are enclosed to avoid airborne pollution.
The shiploader is of shuttle/telescopic boom type with a 19m air draught; the shiploader is capable of swiveling by means of geared slewing rings and luffing by means of hydraulic mechanism. The shuttle length movement in excess of 11 metres gives the flexibility to deliver the cargo uniformly into the holds of the ocean going vessels. At the shiploader’s end a movable banana chute is fitted, to ensure delivery of coal into all areas of the ocean going vessels’ holds. This is crucial while loading cargoes with large stowage factors like coal, when it becomes important to fill in all the areas of the holds, thus avoiding dead freight charges.
In addition, it must be highlighted that, thanks to Princesse Chloe’s double-bow shape, she is also able to moor and operate on both sides of the ocean going vessels .
Normally, in a standard floating terminal of belt shiploader type, it is not possible to transfer a pay-loader to the oceangoing vessels to trim the holds; this is because the cranes are located on the other side of the barge and with their limited outreach it makes it impossible for them to deliver the pay-loaders into the ocean going vessels’ holds. A lifting winch has been incorporated on the delivery boom of the Princesse Chloe, which can easily transfer pay-loaders into the cargo holds. These, both the ‘banana chute’ and pay-loader lifting device that allow best possible trimming, will help in compacting the coal in the holds of the vessels, maximizing the vessel’s transport capacity.
Princesse Chloe has been equipped with double independent Caterpillar made electrical generator sets, one set for duty while the other on standby or maintenance to ensure 24 hours a day non-stop operations. This means a 100% redundancy on this critical service. An SGS automatic sampling device has been installed on the terminal to enable the shipper to take samples of cargo as delivered into the ocean going vessels’ holds. It is also equipped with a belt scale to monitor the cargo quantity loaded and a metal detection system to initiate an alarm, if any metal is detected on the conveyor system.
ABOUT THE COMPANYSWIRE CTM BULK LOGISTICS (SCBL) is a company 50% jointly owned by China Navigation Company Limited (CNCo) part of the Swire Group and 50% by C Transport Maritime (CTM) part of Ceres Shipping Group. It has been established to take advantage of opportunities in the fast developing offshore marine logistics market. Both companies bring many years of experience in shipping, technical innovation, expertise and management to the joint venture. This is reinforced by strong relationships with shipyards, dry bulk shippers/end users and engineering companies.
SCBL encapsulates the experience, know-how and networks of its parent companies in the dry bulk and logistics field, providing a full range of integrated services from the supplier to the end users, including specialized barge services, transshipment units (floating crane, floating terminals), river/coastal and ocean transportation by means of conventional bulk-carriers or self- unloading vessels utilizing the most advanced technology offered by one of the major suppliers in the bulk handling equipment market.
SCBL’s mission is to provide customized and cost-effective dry-bulk seaborne supply chain services aimed at bridging the gap between supplier and industry to reduce total freight costs.
India’s crucial coal and iron-ore logistics chains smoothed by Cargotec’s transloading technology
Globally, India is the third-largest producer and importer of coal and its iron ore exports are expected to rise; with limited port facilities. Ajay Jalali, Cargotec’s Head of Marine Marketing in India, outlines the critical role that transloading terminals play in the logistics process
India is the world’s third largest producer and importer of coal.With proven reserves of around 257 billion tonnes, coal is India’s most abundant source of energy and accounts for more than 70% of primary energy consumed in the country.
QUALITY COAL:A CRUCIAL COMMODITYHowever, there is growing disparity between India’s coal supply and demand, in fact, industry figures suggest that the shortfall for this year is in the region of 49mt (million tonnes). Imported coal is therefore for closing the demand gap and meeting the quality standards for both steel production and power generation, which is not available from lower-quality domestic coal. This demand is highlighted by companies — such as Tata Power, NTPC, Coal India, Reliance Power, Lanco Infratec, GVK Power, Goodearth, Essar and Mercator — which are planning to, or have already, picked up equity stakes in coal assets in Indonesia, Australia and Africa.
India is seeing this huge rise in demand for thermal coal due to the country’s rapid growth in energy generation. Currently, the Indian government is actively pursuing the development of between five to seven Ultra Mega Power Plants (UMPP), each capable of generating around 4,000MW, and between 2013 and 2017 a number of private companies will have a combined capacity of 48 GW; all of which will run on imported coal.
IRON-ORE EXPORTSThe exportation of iron ore is also big business. Annually, India exports around 100mt of iron ore to China and Japan and states like Goa, Karnataka and Orissa are the main sources of iron ore mining. Exports are expected to rise over the next few years, mainly to Japan to meet its need for steel to reconstruct Fukushima, which sustained wide-spread damage following a powerful tsunami that hit the city in March last year.
INDIA’S GROWING TRANSLOADING MARKETWhether feeding India’s supply and demand markets or exporting iron ore, the whole supply chain has to be an efficient operation, starting from mining to loading mother vessels and unloading on the east and west coast of India. Due to limited port facilities, most imported coal will have to be unloaded into smaller barges using transloading terminals, transloading ships and floating cranes.
For transloading dry bulk materials, Cargotec offers complete solutions for: floating cranes, transfer terminals, transloading ships and self-unloading barges. Cargotec delivered a MacGregor K3035-4HD heavy-duty crane to its Indian owner, M/s.Ahiliabai Sardesai Mining and Earthmoving in January this year.
It will be installed on a floating barge, which is designed to load and unload Panamax vessels for both coal and iron ore. The barge will be located in Goa and will be operational by March 2012. Cargotec has received many other enquiries for transloading equipment, which are likely to be finalized over the coming years.
In 2011, Cargotec’s Cranes and Marine Selfunloaders business lines also delivered a combined transfer terminal system for transloading iron ore into Panamax-sized vessels to M/s.VM Salgaocar & Bros. Pvt. Ltd., a leading exporter of iron ore in India.
Cargotec’s scope of supply comprised a complete MacGregor transloading system including: two K3028 heavy-duty grab cranes; two hoppers; a belt conveyor system, with a peak capacity of 2,000tph (tonnes per hour); and a telescopic reversible ship loader. The transfer terminal is currently under construction at Nantong Tongmao Shipbuilding Co, Ltd, in China. It is destined
for the company’s new terminal in Goa and will be operational from March/April this year.
This is Cargotec’s first order for the delivery of a complete transloading system.
“The system will be tailor-made for the customer to suit its intended operations in Goa,” notes Mats Sjo¨stedt, Cargotec’s sales manager for Marine Selfunloaders. “Our customer wanted a solution with the responsibility for the main functions of the systems from one supplier. Cargotec is the only company able to supply cranes, hoppers, a conveyor system and a shiploading
boom for the transloading system. This is essentially all the equipment that is needed to handle the bulk cargo throughout the entire transloading process.”
Examples of Cargotec’s offshore transshipment expertise
- Magdragon I is the first of two identical transloading terminals to be fitted with MacGregor deck conveyor equipment for Singaporean owner, Loreto Maritime Pte Ltd. The terminals are intended for transloading iron ore from smaller feeder barges to ocean-going vessels at Cape Preston in Western Australia. Cargotec has supplied a range of MacGregor equipment including transfer hoppers, a conveyor system and a telescopic boom conveyor/ship loader. Both barges were built at Nantong Tongmao Shipbuilding Co, Ltd in China. Magdragon I was delivered to the owner in August 2011 and is currently undergoing local certification and commissioning in Australia. Magdragon II is scheduled for delivery in August 2012. The transshipping of cargo is due to commence later this year and once fully operational will be the largest of its type.
- Bulk Zambesi is the first of two transloading ships designed for cargo transloading operations off Beira in Mozambique. Bulk Zambesi is a 55,000dwt Supramax vessel constructed by Jiangsu Hantong Heavy Industry in China, for owner Coeclerici Logistics SpA, in Italy. A sister vessel, Bulk Limpopo, is scheduled for delivery to the owner in February 2012. Both ships are equipped with MacGregor bulk handling equipment, which will be used to transload coal into larger ocean-going vessels. The equipment comprises a conveyor system, five hoppers with belt feeders and a 37m- long travelling boom conveyor for loading coal into the ocean-going vessel. Coal mined in the mineral-rich Tete province of Mozambique is transported by rail to Beira where the Mozambique government maintains a dredged channel that can accommodate Supramax vessels. Bulk Zambesi and Bulk Limpopo will load coal alongside in Beira and then move out to an anchorage point in deeper water where they will discharge into oceangoing bulk vessels up to large Capesize at a maximum rate of 5,500tph (tonnes per hour).
Quality process for coal handling on the Lower Mississippi River
Historically, the majority of coal and petroleum coke export tonnage on the Lower Mississippi River has been loaded by land- based terminals. When the land-based terminals have reached their capacity during high export demands, mid-stream crane operators have filled that gap.
While less expensive than land-based terminals, crane mid-stream transfers:
- cannot mechanically sample the product as it is being loaded;
- do not reflect the actual composite product going into the vessel;
- have less ability to reduce the amount of moisture being transferred from river barges to the vessel in the course of operations (other than time-consuming barge pumping); and
- have little recourse in identifying or removing any contaminants or tramp metal when performing a mid-stream clamshell bucket transfer.
Louisiana Mid-Stream Terminals has moved to the forefront of mid-stream coal and petroleum coke transfer services on the Lower Mississippi River by developing and operating a hybrid system, Louisiana Mid-Stream One (LMO), combining the cost effectiveness of crane transfer with the quality control services of a traditional land-based terminal.
The LMO works in conjunction with one high capacity clamshell bucket crane that unloads multiple river barges and combines their cargo of similar or variable quality into the two main receiving hoppers of the LMO. Each receiving hopper has two variable speed feeders that adjust the flow of cargo from each main receiving hopper. The LMO can simultaneously feed and combine product from multiple barges to meet rigorous quality specifications, greatly enhancing the quality of export cargo.
Each main receiving hopper has a grizzly to prevent contamination or over-sized products from entering the system. The majority of free water that is discharged from the barge by the clamshell bucket drains out in the main receiving hopper, limiting moisture gain from standing water in the product, as compared to traditional mid-stream operations that transfer directly onto the vessel. As the cargo is fed from the feeders to the conveyors, the product passes under a self-cleaning magnet
that will remove tramp metal from the product stream.
As cargo continues to flow on the conveyors, it passes a James A. Redding two stage cross-belt mechanical sampler. This sampling system is designed to ASTM Standard D7430 for mechanical sampling and provides a representative sample throughout the cargo loading, not just from the barge top as traditional mid-stream sampling is performed. The sampling system on the LMO is operated and maintained by an independent third party.
The LMO’s base of operation is Cooper/Consolidated’s fleet and anchorage in LaPlace Louisiana at MP 134 Ahead of Passes, left descending bank of the Lower Mississippi River. It is capable of loading vessels up to the maximum River draught and has a workable air draught of 65 feet. All conveyors on the LMO are 72 inches wide and have a designed capacity of 3,000 tonnes per hour. The LMO has transferred over one million metric tonnes since starting operations in September of 2011. The shippers of these tonnes have realized and appreciated the value that the LMO provides over the traditional clamshell bucket discharge of river barges to ocean vessels. The export vessels loaded by the LMO had fewer moisture issues, no tramp metal complaints, and destination samples better matched load analysis from the LMO mechanical sampler.
Vale uses Logmarin to develop the world’s largest floating bulk terminal
Genoa-based Logmarin Advisors, part of the RINA Group, has enabled Brazil’s Vale SA to convert the Ore Fabrica (the former VLCC [very large crude carrier] Front Duchess) into the world’s largest transshipment vessel. It will shortly come into operation at a site in Subic Bay, the Philippines, where it will operate as a platform for the transhipment of iron ore cargoes from Vale’s 400,000dwt Valemax ore carriers into capesize vessels for on carriage to markets in Asia.
Logmarin assisted Vale by devising and supervising the detailed design of the conversion and by procurement assistance, selection of the Ore Fabrica terminal management, and developing operation and safety procedures, Hazard and Operability analysis, transhipment site identification and permits. Support includes assistance during commissioning and personnel training.
The new cargo handling plant, the only one of its kind, consists of five Liebherr MPG cranes and a sophisticated conveyor belt/loading system designed and built by Bedeschi of Padova. The cargo handling facility is certified by RINA.
The conversion was carried out at the Jiangsu Xinrong Shipyard in China. A total of 4,643 tonnes of new plant and structure went into the conversion. The installation of 9,680KW of power gives the vessel a 5,000tph (tonnes per hour) capacity — sufficient to load a Capesize vessel in 36 hours. From design to delivery, the entire conversion took 333 days to complete. The vessel is managed by MSI Ship Management Pte Ltd of Singapore.
Logmarin provides broad-based advice and experienced ideas to tailor-make innovative supply chain solutions for the specific needs of the clients, taking into account environmental and commercial issues at site. Logmarin aims to configure the industry’s marine supply chain as effectively as possible.
The RINA Group is an international company that supports firms and the community to guide them towards greater competitiveness and effective risk management through the conception, creation, management and assessment of projects. The group has developed the best competencies and combined them with its own values of integrity and responsibility, gained in over 150 years of experience, into a way of working that meets the highest expectations in the market.
To guarantee the most advanced level of technical competency and speed of intervention, the RINA Group operates through a network of companies dedicated to different sectors including Environment and Quality, Energy, Shipping, Ethics and Safety, Food Production and Healthcare, Infrastructures and Constructions, Logistics and Transport. With a turnover of around €300 million, over 2,100 employees, and 130 offices in 42 countries worldwide, RINA meets the needs of its clients and is recognized as an authoritative player in key international organizations and an important contributor to the development of new legislative standards.
Bulk Logistics Landmark (BLL), an holistic approach to cargo handling
Bedeschi, Liebherr and Logmarin have formed a consortium: Bulk Logistics Landmark, or BLL.
The B in BLL is for Bedeschi, a company specializing in all kinds of cargo handling equipment. Bedeschi has been in existence since 1908 and is located in Italy. Bedeschi is a noted supplier of machinery and services to bulk material handling and mining industries, with specific focus on handling difficult materials as sticky coal and clay or dry mining and abrasive material like iron ore and other minerals. In addition to traditional brick and tile manufacturing equipment, Bedeschi's products cover a full range of bulk handling solutions and a complete line of crushing equipment.
In addition to general cargo handling systems, Bedeschi also supplies specialized equipment for offshore transshipment solutions. The total cargo handling systems on a transshipper, which comprises hoppers, belt feeders, conveyors and shiploaders, are engineered and
manufactured in-house. Bedeschi also manufactures shore based shiploaders and conveyor systems and undertakes port development projects.
The L in the BLL is Liebherr, which hardly needs any introduction, being one of the largest crane manufacturers in the world.The Austrian company Liebherr is family owned and manufactures almost an entire range of cranes for all kinds of applications. All the cranes are manufactured at the Liebherr plant in Austria under the strictest quality control. Liebherr has been involved in the manufacture of heavy duty marine cranes which are specifically designed for offshore applications, which are the heart of any transshipper.
Liebherr has been supplying cranes for offshore application for a long time and have improvised its design largely to suit heavy duty applications such as duly designed bearings, motors etc. The majority of the transshippers worldwide have Liebherr cranes installed on them. This is because of the fact that Liebherr recognizes the importance of the reliability factor in a transshipment operation and strives to minimize any downtime by way of a robust design and being duly supported by an after sales service network.
The other L stands for Logmarin Advisors, a company based in Italy. Part of Rina (Italian National Classification Society), Logmarin is specialized in shipping and maritime logistics. Logmarin also offers broad- based advice, creative ideas, technical support for ship handling, port facility requirements, ship conversions, floating terminal solutions, self unloading
vessels, shipping market survey, supply chain design and the optimal solution at any stage of the maritime supply chain. Over the last years, the use of floating terminals has generated new interest as end users discover the potential
opportunities this technology can offer. In this section will be explained the importance of employing creativity and innovation in combination with a wealth of experience, to ensure sound results that meet the specific needs of the client‘s supply chain.
Since 2004 that Bedeschi has become fully aware cognizance of the vast potential of the growing offshore transshipment market and started developing cargo handling systems for offshore applications too. Bedeschi is now proud of the fact that it is among the market leaders in this segment too.
A classical transshipper essentially comprises two main components — the cranes and the cargo handling and delivery systems. Their application varies from the usage of the system
i.e. if the system is intended to carry out offshore loading of cargo from barges into oceangoing vessels (OGVs) or discharging the cargo from OGVs into barges. For a loading system, the cranes need not have a very big outreach because they have to pick up cargo from barges which are relatively smaller in size and berthed alongside. The cargo handling system instead should be equipped with a shiploader with sufficient air draught and outreach to deliver cargo into the holds of large OGVs. The reverse is applicable for discharging systems where the cranes, which are supposed to pickup cargo from larger OGVs have large air draught and outreach and the cargo handling system has a smaller barge loader sufficient to deliver cargo into barges, instead of a shiploader.
Bedeschi has implemented various systems with loading capacities ranging from 2,000tph (tonnes per hour) up to 5,000tph. All the critical equipment is manufactured by Bedeschi in its production facilities under strict quality control.
A few cargo handling systems implemented by Bedeschi recently are discussed below For a typical floating transfer station, the cargo handling system consists of two duly designed hoppers and an array of conveyor systems leading to a telescopic/shuttle shiploader. Cargo from each of the hoppers is extracted by means of individual variable- speed belt feeders. These frequency-controlled feeders extract cargo from the hoppers and transfer it to the longitudinal conveyor. Another conveyor then transports the coal longitudinally through the length of the floating terminal through to a transfer point, a transverse conveyor which will help in crossing over the entire beam of the terminal and be led to the final conveyor leading to the shiploader. The inclinations of all the conveyors have been designed in accordance to the grade of cargo to be handled in order to achieve smooth flow of cargo and avoid back flow. Special care is taken in design of the transfer points to ensure no blockage occurs and the material flows smoothly. All the conveyors are enclosed to avoid airborne pollution.
Some of the floating transfer stations for which cargo handling systems have been supplied by Bedeschi are Shatixa, Bulk Prosperity, Zeus, Princess Chloe and another one, which is under implementation for a major iron ore exporter from India.
Sometimes there is a requirement for large buffer storage, especially when the barging distance is large or cargo sourcing is varied. This was exactly the situation faced by an Indonesian company, when they decided to implement a system with large floating storage and a high loading rate. For this purpose it was decided to convert the Panamax size vessel Mara into a transshipper to be used for coal loading operations in Kalimantan, Indonesia. Mara has storage of about 70,000 tonnes and is equipped with four cranes. The Bedeschi- supplied cargo handling system comprises two large hoppers, each serving two cranes. The specially designed hoppers are capable to receive coal from two cranes simultaneously. The hoppers are equipped with variable-speed belt extractors leading to longitudinal conveyors systems moving in the opposite directions. The two conveyors
converge onto a hopper to transfer the coal onto a transverse conveyor, which transports the coal across the beam of the transshipper onto the port side. On the port side two large shiploaders are installed with capabilities of swiveling and luffing. They have also been fitted with retractable delivery booms, to enable delivery of coal into all the parts of the OGVs holds. The system has the capability of loading coal at a daily rate exceeding 60,000 tonnes per day. The advantage of having a large floating storage is that the loading operations can be carried out even when there are no barges alongside.
The system is operating in Kalimantan and is loading at rates exceeding 60,000 tonnes per day. It also has the capability of blending two grades of coal and delivering a homogeneous grade. The annual capacity of the system is in excess of 15 million tonnes and has helped the user increase its competitiveness manyfold.