In India, several new dry bulk terminal projects have emerged at ports on both the east and west coasts.
Dhamra Port Company Limited (DPCL), which is an equal joint venture between the Indian companies L&T and Tata Steel, owns the 34-year concession to build and operate a port north of the mouth of river Dhamra in Orissa. DCPL has four years to complete construction and could potentially extend its concession period for a further two blocks of ten years depending on mutually agreed terms and conditions.
Once operational, Dhamra Port will be able to accommodate vessels drawing up to
18 metres of water, making it one of India’s deepest draught facilities. Indeed, Capesize vessels of up to 180,000dwt are expected to berth there.
Fully implemented, Dhamra will have 13 berths capable of handling a combined 100mt (million tonnes). A project spokesperson noted that the location of the port close to the mineral belt of Orissa, Jharkhand and West Bengal, in addition to its deep draught, will make Dhamra “the most cost-effective and efficient port on the Eastern coast of India.”
Construction commenced in March 2007 and phase one was due to enter commercial operation in November 2010. As part of the initial start-up phase, the port is to be equipped with two fully mechanized berths of 350 metres each, which will have an annual capacity of 25mt per annum. These berths will concentrate on handling imports of coking coal, steam/thermal coal, limestone and exported iron ore. There will also be a 62km rail link from Dhamra to Bhadrak/Ranital Link Cabin on the main Howrah–Chennai line.
During this phase, Dhamra will be handling up to 12mt annually of imported coal and limestone and 6.5mt per annum of exported iron ore. DPCL was also hoping to have in place an additional wagon tippler by December 2010 boosting iron ore exports by a further 6.5mt.
A single shiploader capable of hourly rates of 5,000tph (tonnes per hour) will handle export consignments, fed from stockpiles equipped with one reclaimer and one stacker- reclaimer. Inbound rail wagons will be discharged through a wagon tippler able to handle 25 tips per hour.
There will be two ship unloaders for inbound cargo, with rates of up to 2,800tph envisaged. Two stacker-reclaimers will be used in the stockpile area, while rail wagon loading facilities will also be close by. Up to 800,000 tonnes of coking/thermal coal and limestone will be stored on site, along with 750,000 tonnes of iron ore.
Also on the east coast,Visakhapatnam Port Trust has awarded Adani Enterprises subsidiary Mundra Port and Special Economic Zone a concession to develop a coal import terminal at the Andhra Pradesh port. Building and commissioning will take no more than 24 months, says Adani, with investment of $68 million to be made.
The design, build, finance, operate and transfer contract involves Berth East Quay-1, which will be engineered to handle some 6.5mt of imported coal per annum.
At present,Visakhapatnam acts as a conduit for inbound coal required by local industries and power plants located in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and eastern Maharashtra.
For the Adani group, India’s largest private multi-port operator, this is the first time it has established a presence on the Indian east coast, having previously established operations in both Gujarat and Goa. At Mundra, which remains India’s largest privately-owned and operated port, traffic this fiscal year is expected to top 50mt, compared with 40mt the previous year.
A spokesperson noted that, in addition to established port operations at both Mundra and Dahej, the company is also developing a port at Hazira and coal terminals at Mundra and Goa, in addition to Visakhapatnam. Internationally, the company is also present in Australia and Indonesia, hoping by 2020 to handle a combined 200mt of traffic.
At the west coast Port of Mormugao, the Port Trust has revealed that in fiscal 2010/11 total volume reached 50.02mt, compared with 48.85mt the previous year, making it the seventh- busiest Indian port. It is heavily export oriented, with outbound traffic rising 16% on the year to reach 40.84mt, an all-time record. Imports of 9.18mt were also recorded.
Mr. P. Mara Pandiyan, the chairman of MPT, acknowledged the key role dry bulk plays in the overall traffic mix. Iron ore, he points out, constituted 40.35mt of the total and coal/coke
6.93mt. He says that 10.63mt were loaded by the Mechanical Ore Handling Plant (MOHP) at berth No. 9, which was slightly disappointing, given that in 2009/2010 this facility had accounted for 12.01mt. This decline, he stresses, was due mainly to the extended monsoon and also to the ban on exports of iron ore from Karnataka.
He revealed a number of new projects.
As of May, all mooring dolphins will be capable of handling Panamax size vessels drawing up to 14 metres of water.
In the slightly longer term, a fully mechanized coal import terminal capable of handling four million tonnes per annum is to be built at existing berth No. 11 on design, build, finance, operate and transfer basis (DBFOT). A concession agreement is promised for November.
For May 2013, berth No. 7 will also begin coal handling, having also been developed as part of a DBFOT contract, says Pandiyan.
The Malaysian Port of Lumut has two terminals, both of which are capable of handling dry bulk. However, it is Lekir Terminal where most dry bulk is handled. This deep draught facility has two berths: one of 530 metres with alongside draught of 20 metres and one of 250 metres with a draught of 18 metres. Vessels of up to 180,000dwt can be accommodated, with barges of up to 7,000dwt.
Open storage consists of an area of 200,000m2 metres that can be equipped with stacking and reclaiming equipment for integration into the existing transfer station system, if required. The estimated storage capacity is of up to 1.5mt. However, this excludes the adjacent dedicated coal yard serving the nearby power station.
Inbound consignments consist of two grab ship unloaders capable of handling up to 1,500tph, feeding two import conveyors, each of which can carrying up to 3,800tph rated capacity. A further grab unloader has been mooted for the future. The conveyor network has a transfer station system giving alternative routing capability.
In addition, direct transshipment at berth is possible using the existing unloaders for direct ship/barge to ship/barge transfer between north and south berths. This can be achieved at an estimated capacity of 500–700tph for each unloader, giving a potential total of 1,000–1,400tph.
Future expansion could involve the installation of an export berth, with alongside draught of 15 metres, equipped with conveyors integrated with the existing transfer station system. Loading rates of up to 2,500tph are considered possible.
Also under consideration is a covered blending facility, which would occupy an area of 15,000 square metres and have a capacity of up to 60,000 tonnes, assuming a network of inbound and outbound conveyors integrated with the existing transfer station system, permitting direct shiploading or delivery to an open storage yard for later truck loading. A screening/washing facility is similar mooted, which would be integrated into the existing waste water treatment facility.
Qiangang Company, which is a subsidiary of Qingdao Port Corporation, is mainly involved in the handling of the Port of Qingdao’s coal and iron ore consignments. Indeed, it is now the biggest ore transshipment hubs in China, being one of just five that undertakes coal export operations.
Qingdao itself is a natural deep water port, normally unaffected by strong winds or big waves, while neither ice nor silt are a problem either. To the west of the port, there are connections with the Qingdao free trade zone, while there are also connections there with the Jiao-Huang and Jiao-Ji railway lines. Highway connections give good, all round road connectivity. Qiangang
Company, which was previously known as Qianwan Port Company, was first established in July 1993 and commenced operations following government approval in December of the same year. Nowadays, it manages three terminals encompassing seven deep water berths, which offer an annual capacity of 48.2mt. In total, stockpile areas of 1,100,000m2 have a combined capacity in excess of 10mt.
All this has come at a cost: total investment in these facilities has been US$726 million. However, productivity is very good, having created a world record for the unloading of iron ore of 6,098tph.
Coal handling is concentrated at a two-berth terminal capable of handling 15mt per annum. Quay length is 560 metres, with vessels of up to 100,000dwt capable of berthing. Shore side operations are supported by no fewer than seven stockpile areas whose capacity exceeds 660,000 tonnes. Different grades and types of coal can be handled and managed separately.
Equipment installed here was built by Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and AbandHenshaw of the UK. It consists of two dumpers, two stackers, two reclaimers, a stacker/reclaimer and two shiploaders. Furthermore, movement of coal along the 9,500-metre conveyor belt system, is overseen from a central control room.
As for iron ore handling, this takes place across five berths, one of which can accommodate vessels of up to 200,000dwt, while the other four range from 10,000dwt to 50,000dwt. Overall throughput is engineered for around 33.2mt, with stockpile area of 9.7mt.
The largest berth is one of the few in the world capable of berthing up to 300,000dwt cargo vessels. It was built in November 1998 and became operational in 1999. Nominal annual capacity here is of 23mt, with the ore handling system having been designed, manufactured and installed by Chinese companies.
This berth is equipped with three grab ship-unloaders, while stockpiles are worked by three stacker-reclaimers. There are two wagon loaders for rail shipments.
According to the port authority,“Qiangang iron ore jetty is presently one of the largest iron ore import transshipment bases in China.”
The other four loading and discharge berths, which are equipped with 11 grab cranes, are designed to handle 10.2mt annually. Rail wagons are handled by two loaders, while the yard is fitted out with three stacker-reclaimers, which serve 15 conveyor belt systems.
Another subsidiary, Xigang Company, is located alongside both the Qingdao Economic & Technological Development Zone and also Qingdao Bonded Area. It is responsible for handling general and bulk cargo, such as steel, paper pulp, alumina, sulphur, iron ore, timber, fertilizer and grain.
Since it was founded in 1997, growth has been rapid and now boasts a portfolio of more than 50 clients. In terms of productivity, it claims to have established a world record in the unloading of paper pulp, reaching an hourly rate of 1,519tph.
The closest operator to the old city centre is the Dagang Company, where it enjoys a monopoly in the handling of bulk cargo, alumina, fertilizer, and extra-large shipments. It also provides bagging services for bulk cargo. Handling activities are monitored from the central control system, which therefore helps to reduce costs. It brings together video surveillance, computer management, communication and business systems. The video system is composed of four 120-inch screens, eight cameras and four computers. That system can control the entire service operation, thereby ensuring efficient use of assets.
Operations take place at six terminals, offering a combined quay length of 5,789 metres, divided into 26 berths. Ten of these can handle vessels of over 10,000dwt, while the other 12 are limited to 5,000dwt ships. Maximum, draught is 14 metres.
“Our company also has 18 rail sidings of a combined length of 7,400 metres, while the Jiaoji railway has direct access to the quays,” noted a spokesperson.
There are 630,000m2 of storage area and 22 silos for bulk grain and cement among other products. Theoretical storage capability across all commodities is 1,630,000 tonnes.
“Our bulk grain handling system is currently the most advanced of its kind in the world,” says the spokesperson. The conveyor belt system is sealed to prevent dust escaping into the air and is entirely computer monitored. It serves a dedicated, 280-metre long berth, allowing vessels drawing up to 14 metres of water to be accommodated.
On shore, there are also 16 sets of automatic bagging machines, which can be filled at a rate of 50tph up to a maximum of 16,000 tonnes per day.
Nowadays, grain handling ranks fifth in importance in the port, behind coal, crude oil, mineral stone and containers.