Vostochny Port JSC, which is Russia’s largest stevedoring company and forms part of Port Management Company LLC, has taken delivery of an innovative ship loading conveyor (SLC). This was built by Mitsui Miike of Japan in partnership with Vostochny Port under an agreement with the Marubeni Corporation to enable coal to be loaded aboard bulk carriers.
The new SLC is due to replace one of four existing conveyors at Vostochny Port’s coal terminal. It has a aggregate capacity of 1,800 tonnes.
“The main requirement ofVostochny Port JSC was the reliability and operational efficiency of a ship loading conveyor.The new machine is more powerful and more automated with enhanced hydraulics,” said Mitsunori Mori, Deputy General Manager of Industrial Plants Division, Marubeni Corporation.
He added that two similar machines will be delivered later as part of the project’s Phase 3.
The new conveyor system can load Capesize bulk carriers of up to 180,000DWT. It, in turn, is fed by a system of conveyors, allowing coal to be discharged directly into the vessel’s hold. The SLC has a 46-metre outreach, with an angle of elevation of between –15° and +15°.
According to Anatoly Lazarev, Managing Director of Vostochny Port JSC, “The new Vostochny Port SLC is unique for Russia. It is equipped with an additional system of final cleaning of the coal before it is loaded into a ship. Powerful neodymium magnets ensure the highest degree of coal cleaning without affecting the loading rates.”
The new SLC, which was due to start operation in February, is part of an ambitious investment project centred around construction of the coal terminal’s Phase 3. New terminal facilities will be put into operation in 2017, boosting port capacity to 39 million tonnes by 2019.The coal will be mainly sourced from the Kuzbass area.
BC