New Trillium Class self-unloaders reflect CSL’s innovative drive
The CSL Group’s (CSL) latest-generation Trillium Class vessels will take self-unloading technology several steps forward when they enter the shipping markets in the Americas and the Great Lakes/Saint Lawrence Seaway beginning in November 2012. Two recently delivered Trillium Class gravity-fed self-unloaders — a Panamax and a Laker — are, at time of printing, expected to be sailing on their maiden voyages.
The new vessels reflect a spirit of innovation that is echoed throughout CSL’s global activities including the recent conversions of the CSL Spirit and the CSL Whyalla into transshippers, as well as the advanced top-off solutions devised by CSL International to improve efficiency and reduce costs.
 
A NEW CLASS OF SELF-UNLOADERS
CSL International, which operates throughout the Americas, will soon be welcoming the Hon. Paul E. Martin, a Trillium Class self- unloading Panamax vessel, to be joined in 2013 by two sister Trillium Class ships. The three new Panamax vessels will join the CSLI Pool along with two other ships of the same class and design being constructed for Torvald Klaveness of Norway under CSL supervision.
The Baie St. Paul will be the first of four new Trillium Class self-unloading Lakers and two new gearless bulkers to enter CSL’s Canada Steamship Lines fleet between 2012 and 2014. To make possible her ocean passage, the gravity-fed self-unloading Laker will be fitted with temporary reinforcing structures that will be removed upon arrival in the Port of Montreal.
“The new Trillium Class self-unloaders represent the beginning of a new era for CSL and for self-unloader performance in all respects,” said Rod Jones, President and CEO of The CSL Group. “Employing state-of-the-art technology and design, the Trillium Class ships will set new standards in operational and energy efficiency, reliability, safety and environmental protection. With their overall superior performance, these vessels will offer our clients a broader spectrum of bulk cargo shipping, handling and transshipping solutions.”
As part of CSL’s ambitious fleet renewal program, the new Trillium Laker and Panamax vessels are equipped with the most technologically advanced features in bulk shipping today. Equipped with IMO Tier II main engines, the Trillium ships have been specifically designed to increase fuel efficiency and control NOx and particulate matter emissions. An optimized hull design will also significantly enhance manoeuvrability and fuel efficiency.
To meet customer demands, a VFD-driven self-unloader system will allow for soft starting and precisely adjusting unloading rates. Dust suppression will also be significantly enhanced on the Trillium vessels through feeder gates, boom dust enclosures, dust collectors and a foam spray dust suppression system.
 
SELF-UNLOADER CONVERSIONS TO BETTER MEET CLIENT NEEDS
Responding to increased customer transshipment and operational flexibility requirements, CSL has recently converted two self-unloaders into transshippers — the CSL Spirit, a Panamax self-unloader currently transshipping iron ore at Sept- I^les, Quebec, and most recently, the CSL Whyalla of the CSL Australia fleet.
The CSL Whyalla will join CSL Australia’s transshipment fleet, which includes the transshipment barge Spencer Gulf and self- unloading barges Barngarla and Middleback in Whyalla, South Australia. The conversion will see the CSL Whyalla fitted with a transshipment boom for direct loading into Capesize vessels, dust suppression equipment and decant tanks to comply with EPA requirements, and self-warping and automated winches for more efficient mooring during loading operations. Upgrades to the CSL Whyalla’s unloading system, including mass flow cargo gates, will allow her to handle a range of iron ore grades and achieve transshipment rates of up to 3,000 tonnes per hour.
 
IMPROVING SUPPLY CHAIN EFFICIENCY THROUGH “TOP-OFFS”
An ocean shipping procedure conceived by CSL International and customer Xcoal has resulted in significant efficiency improvements that optimize the cost per tonne of cargo with fully laden vessels.
The operation begins with the partial loading of 180,000dwt Capesize vessels at the coal export terminal to maximum sailing draught.
A CSL specialized 75,000dwt belt self-unloader is also loaded at the terminal. The two vessels then meet at a protected anchorage where the self-unloading vessel transfers or ‘tops-off’ its cargo to the large Capesize vessel that then transits en route to discharge ports in Asia — dramatically increasing its cargo to maximum capacity.
Benefits of this procedure include lower ocean freight, which reduces the delivered cost of US origin coal, as well as efficiency improvements and increased capacity from using larger vessels.
The CSL Group is the world’s largest owner and operator of self-unloading vessels. Headquartered in Montreal with divisions based in the United States, the United Kingdom, Norway, Singapore and Australia,The CSL Group delivers more than 80 million tonnes of cargo annually for customers in the construction, steel, energy and agri-food sectors. Trillium Class is a trademark of The CSL Group.
 
 
 
OLDENDORFF CARRIERS — optimizing bulk logistics
Over the years German ship owning and operating company OLDENDORFF CARRIERS has built up an excellent reputation in bulk logistics. The company is engaged in several major transshipment operations around the globe, and operates six self-unloading bulk carriers. OLDENDORFF CARRIERS is continuously developing further projects and is expanding its involvement in self-unloading trades, bulk shuttles, transshipment, top-off and lighterage operations, port development and other bulk logistics projects.
The gist of bulk logistics for OLDENDORFF CARRIERS is to assist clients in achieving their goals by designing, building and operating fast, reliable and cost-efficient logistics systems. Increasing throughput requirements combined with draught- limited ports, lack of port loading or unloading facilities and local environmental restrictions are driving shippers and receivers to think in terms of tailor-made logistics solutions in order to achieve freight savings and increase of import/export volumes.
OLDENDORFF CARRIERS operates one of the world’s largest floating coal transshipment terminals, the Isken, in the Gulf of Iskenderun in Turkey. The client is the 1,300MW coal fired power station at Sugo¨zu¨, which is operated by Iskenderun Enerji U¨retim ve Ticaret A.S. The tailor-made logistics solution was put into operation in November 2002 and has since handled an impressive 30mt (million tonnes) of coal; a benchmark track record in off-shore coal handling. Along with the Isken transshipment terminal, OLDENDORFF CARRIERS operates two hopper self-unloading barges used to shuttle the unloaded coal to the shore receiving facility. Self-unloading technology provides continuous, fast and virtually dust and spillage-free delivery of cargo ashore. The movement of the units is assisted by two tug boats, providing efficiency and safety for the whole operation. The critical importance of the unloading facility in the coal supply chain to ensure continuous operation of the power plant is addressed through highest operational standards along with meticulous equipment maintenance. Around 3.0–3.5mt (million tonnes) of coal are discharged by this system each year, mainly from Capesize vessels. The transshipper was delivered at the end of September 2002 from Remontowa Shipyard in Poland. The 40-tonne-bollard pull tugs were constructed at Uzmar Shipyard in Turkey and also delivered in September 2002. The hopper self-unloading barges, each with a deadweight capacity of around 10,000 tonnes, were built in 2000 at Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft. All units sail under the Turkish flag and all day-to-day technical and crewing management is done by OLDENDORFF’s affiliate Iskolden Tasimacilik ve Ticaret A.S. in Iskenderun. The cargo handling operation is performed by three Liebherr MPG cranes, arranged at the port side of the transshipper deck structure. The SWL is 45 tonnes at 38 metres outreach, capable of discharging the widest Capesize vessels.
The cargo is loaded onto the barges via a conveyor belt system, routing the coal to a chute mounted in the center of the transshipper. The barges are guided under the chute and in between the transshipper’s twin hulls for loading purposes. To ensure the highest possible standard of environmental protection throughout the operation most parts of the system are enclosed and a highly effective spray system suppresses dust. The loaded barges are pushed by the tugs to the power plants’ jetty located around two miles from the transshipment area. Each barge is equipped with a gravity-type self-unloading system (2,500 tonnes per hour capacity), which feeds the coal into a receiving hopper via its boom conveyor. The enclosed belt and boom system as well as a sophisticated hopper construction prevents spillage and minimizes dust emissions helping to protect the environment. Owing to smart equipment design and highly skilled operational staff, a Capesize vessel is normally discharged in around four days.
Since commencement of the operation in Turkey in 2002, OLDENDORFF has commissioned a bauxite barging and loading solution in Guyana (2.0mtpa [million tonnes per annum]).
Also, the joint venture company Eships Oldendorff Logistics (EOL), which was founded in 2007, has successfully launched three bulk logistics operations in the Arabian Gulf (8.0mtpa).
OLDENDORFF CARRIERS combines its 90-year history as a German shipowner with the network of one of the world’s leading dry bulk operators.
The company currently controls some 400 chartered and owned vessels of around 26 million tonnes dwt, carrying over 165mt of raw materials and semi-finished products across the Seven Seas each year.
OLDENDORFF CARRIERS’ senior vice president Jacob Juncher:“We will continue to actively look for more operations where our expertise and capability in providing tailor-made bulk handling solutions can benefit our customers. By providing highly competitive ocean freight we can offer our clients integrated logistics solutions, almost door-to-door. We aim to continue where others stop.”

 
Built to deliver more: business expansion for Rocktree Logistics
Rocktree Logistics, a dry bulk commodities transshipment specialist, makes it a mission to address clients’ problems head on and find a solution no matter the obstacles. The result has been business expansion for Rocktree, driven by client demand.
In an economy where quality service is often the only differentiator, Rocktree Logistics Pte Ltd (Rocktree) is committed to delivering solutions to its clients that go beyond that extra mile. Its speciality is customizing solutions for clients based on case-by-case incidences. No task is too big or too small to handle.
With its ‘can do’ attitude, Rocktree Logistics Pte Ltd, a new rising player in the industry, is making waves in the Asia Pacific region. Supported by its two offshore floating terminals (OFT) Mara and Zeus, the company provides transshipment, storage, blending and sampling solutions to leading dry bulk commodity producers, end users and international trading companies.
Whilst only in operation since August 2009, Rocktree has quickly become the one transshipment service provider that the majority of its clients turn to as their sole solution for transshipment and offshore storage and blending. The main reason Rocktree has become the supplier of choice, according to founder and CEO Daniele Pratolongo, is its no-nonsense attitude in the way it does business. “Clients don’t like to hear it can’t be done, and they don’t much care how it’s done, they just want it done,” explains Pratolongo. “And we understand that, because it’s how we operate. So we take the problem, and we look at it from all angles until we find a solution.” As Pratolongo explains, that solution may not be a part of the company’s current arsenal, but in solving the problem for a loyal client, it makes it so.
“We continually seek out new opportunities, identify inefficiencies in the existing supply chain and innovate solutions to meet the demands of clients serving today’s rapidly growing global markets,” adds Pratolongo. The company’s end goal is to get its clients’ dry bulk cargo moving on schedule, at minimum cost and time. Its services and solutions are all geared to this simple goal.
 
HIGH-SPEED LOADING TO SAVE TIME AND COSTS
Rocktree understands that getting its vessels loaded and unloaded on schedule means its clients spend less time at sea or in port and reduce demurrage claims significantly. Rocktree’s fleet was designed to handle today’s higher load volumes. Its Zeus vessel handles over 40,000 metric tonnes per day. Mara matches onshore terminal speeds at over 60,000 metric tonnes per day and can handle up to four barges simultaneously and fully load a Panamax vessel in 36 hours. Rocktree’s OFTs are built to be a convenient, moveable offshore terminal for its clients.
 
HIGH-CAPACITY FLOATING STORAGE TO SOLVE COMPLEX BARGE LOGISTICS
Rocktree established its OFTs off the shores of Indonesia to service primarily the Indonesian mining industry. Having Mara and Zeus stationed offshore as an integral part of the supply chain solves the common problem faced by barge companies: long barging distances, excess barge fleet and late arrivals. With a combined floating storage capacity of 60,000 metric tonnes, one of the largest in the region, Rocktree clients can make multiple barge trips, offloading their barges into Rocktree’s OFTs for their return journey, thereby reducing the need for a large barge fleet and maximizing cargo readiness for loading onto the ocean-going vessel when it arrives.
 
ADDED VALUE OFFSHORE SERVICES FOR CLIENTS’ CONVENIENCE
When Rocktree started noticing that clients were blending different qualities of cargo in a non-homogeneous way, resulting in cargo quality issues, the company proactively devised a solution by installing a special blending conveyor system that allows for adjustment of blend ratios to give clients the flexibility to blend any coal mix to exact, specified qualities. Rocktree identified another shortfall in the supply chain while listening to clients’ concerns. When the message of the need to establish the quality of cargo at the loading point kept cropping up, Rocktree decided to install automatic sampler systems on its OFTs. These take a sample of the cargo as it is being transferred for loading onto the ocean-going vessel. For many of Rocktree’s clients, this add-
on service reduces instances of disputes on cargo quality at destination.
Rocktree’s concern is also to reduce impact on the environment and, to this end, it ensures that both OFTs are equipped with world-class systems aimed at minimizing coal and dust pollution, reducing cargo loss and preventing cargo spillage.
 
ALL BACKED BY EFFICIENT LOGISTICS MANAGEMENT
For some of its client’s, cherry-picking from the above services suffices, whereas for others, handing the whole supply chain operation over to Rocktree makes greater economic sense. Rocktree takes control of the entire operation, scheduling deliveries to maximize barging capacity and reduce waiting times and subsequent demurrage claims for its clients.
 
EXPERIENCED PERSONNEL IS ROCKTREE’S GREATEST ASSET
Having state-of-the-art equipment and technology as well as innovative ideas mean nothing without the knowledgeable and experienced staff to drive the solutions. Some companies are built around the equipment they possess. Rocktree is built around a core group of experienced personnel with years of industry experience. Though Rocktree is a ‘young’ company, its experienced staff and the company’s ‘can do’ mind-set makes it a real threat to its competitors.


Long-term relationships demonstrate continued success for Coeclerici Logistics
Coeclerici Logistics, with offices all over the world, offers well- established commercial and project management experience, writes Capt. Giordano Scotto d’Aniello, Head of Commercial Department at Coeclerici Logistics, Milan, Italy. The company also has strong technical competence and a high level of expertise, providing its clients with unique service in the field of offshore transshipment of dry bulk materials; it is a major presence in this niche market.
Coeclerici’s achievements are due to its dedication and commitment to its clients, by satisfying their requirements. The company has an excellent track record of long-term relationships, tangible proof of Coeclerici’s continuous success.
 
TAILOR-MADE INTEGRATED SOLUTIONS
Thanks to increasing investment in technology and Coeclerici Logistics’ established expertise, the group — which is over 100 years old — has been able to provide highly-efficient, tailor-made solutions for its clients. These solutions represent a valid and cost-saving alternative to traditional systems for loading and unloading, transshipment and port and coastal transportation.
Coeclerici Logistics engineered and promoted the use of the ‘floating terminal’ throughout the world, which carries out all of the same functions as a port terminal, but with far less investment, fewer management costs and a lower environmental impact.
 
CURRENT EXAMPLES OF COECLERICI PROJECTS WORLDWIDE
  • Venezuela: The FSTS (floating storage transfer station) Bulk Wayuu` working in the Maracaibo lake since 1998 is used for coal transfer and storage, with an average loading rate in excess of 40,000 tonnes per day. Since the commissioning of the FSTS Bulk Wayuu`, the client Carbones del Guasare has experienced a number of improvements compared with the floating cranes previously used. The FSTS, which is permanently moored in the Maracaibo Lake in Venezuela, is equipped with four cranes, three travelling loaders, conveyor belts and hoppers. The system is in compliance with ISO 9001:2000 and has the IMO BLU Code.
  • Italy: the ultra hi-tech floating barge Bulk Irony is a geared self-propelled facility, developed and designed by Coeclerici Logistics to lighten vessels up to Panamax size. Since 2003, it has operated three miles from the Piombino coast, helping the Lucchini steel mill to overcome the depth restrictions of the port. The system has an average lightening rate of 27,000 tonnes per day, using two heavy duty cranes and a conveyor system comprising four fully covered belt conveyors. Besides discharging iron ore and coal, the system is also capable of transporting and loading coils for export purposes. The system is in compliance with ISO14001:2004 and achieved the prestigious Environmental Management Audit System (EMAS) registration in April 2009.
  • Black Sea: The FTS (floating transfer station) Bulk Kremi. Since the upgrade of this unit and its delivery in 2012, the system has a transshipment capacity of 750tph (tonnes per hour) and the ability to perform loading/discharging operations. The unit has been designed to handle sulphur as well as other main dry bulk materials, and was designed to avoid any dust emissions during operations.
  • Indonesia: The FTS Bulk Pioneer, designed by Coeclerici Logistics, has been used in Indonesia for Kaltim Prima Coal since 2005 for coal loading operations from barges into ocean going vessels (OGVs). It has an average loading rate in excess of 35,000 tonnes per day.
 
Latest units

  •  Indonesia: Bulk Java and Bulk Borneo have been duly designed by Coeclerici Logistics to smoothly perform coal loading operations at Muara Pantai East Kalimantan, Indonesia. The FTSs are equipped with two heavy duty cranes and two swivelling shiploaders, along with a combination of hoppers and conveyors, assuring PT Berau Coal a loading rate of about 45,000 tonnes per day.
  • Africa: the twin 53,776dwt transshippers Bulk Zambesi and Bulk Limpopo, have been fully designed by Coeclerici Logistics to load coal into OGVs off-shore Beira in Mozambique. The units have been operational since 2011 and 2012 respectively, serving the mining giant Vale and overcoming the depth restrictions in the port, permitting the exportation of coal by taking advantages of scale economy in ocean trade market
FOCUSING ON PEOPLE AND ENVIRONMENT
The solutions and services provided by Coeclerici Logistics meet the highest standards of safety for people and the environment. Such standards, which are verified by independent international organizations, attest to Coeclerici’s commitment to providing a complete range of high quality services to all its clients.