Demand for Shiploading Equipment Rides a Rising Tide


This B&W hydraulic adjustable shiploader loads 25,000 dwt vessels from narrow piers.
Port mobile-plant specialist B&W Mechanical Handling Ltd. recently reported a double mineral industry success for a unique shiploading solution. The company, part of the Aumund Group, said initial successful commissioning of an installation in Peru by a major mining industry client provided a clear demonstration of how its mobile loading equipment can benefit operators wishing to retain full flexibility within their operation. As a result, said the company, a second South American order has been placed for a shiploading system operated from a fixed conveyor delivery point.

The original client, Gold Fields Ltd. through its subsidiary Gold Fields La Cima SA, commissioned a new “narrow quay” installation to load copper and gold ores at the Port of Salaverry in Peru using B&W equipment. Mounted on a single chassis, the shiploader is equipped with B&W’s “New Generation” travel system allowing both powered in-line and parallel movement. The design makes the unit well-suited for use on narrow quays and finger jetties as small as 15 m wide.

At Salaverry, copper and gold ore at up to 2,900 kg/m3 is transported to the 25-mwide x 225-m-long quay area by 30-mtcapacity trucks. The heavy-duty, 900-mt/h shiploader has an integrated 180° slewing Samson feeder, enabling it to discharge from either side of the quay. The 36-m-long, hydraulically adjustable shiploader boom is equipped with a 360° rotational trimming chute and loads into 25,000-dwt vessels with a maximum freeboard height of 10.5 m above the quay and a beam width of up to 22.9 m. The installation includes a full dust containment and extraction system.

According to the company, the machines are built to operate with a design life of 25 years at a normal 24/7 duty cycle. Changes to port layouts or the differing nature of commodities over time are easily accommodated. In contrast to fixed installations, relocation of the unit to another site takes hours, not weeks.

The second order reported by B&W was for the Chilean copper mining company Compañía Minera Carmen de Andacollo, operating out of the Port of Coquimbo. Designed to load copper concentrate at rates of up to 1,000 mt/h, this system comprises a 36-m boom, rubber-tired mobile ship loader; a mobile telescopic link conveyor with radial travel having a closed length of 26 m but extendable to 41 m, and a fixed length link conveyor that is 20 m long.

In related news, New Zealand-based Cavotec MSL announced it will supply a range of advanced cable reel, control and steel chain technologies to the Thyssen- Krupp group for installation on iron ore shiploaders at Port Hedland in Western Australia.

“This is a wide-ranging and complex order; pulling together our expertise in cable reels, cabin and console technologies, radio remote control units and steel chain engineering,” said Mike Stoney, Cavotec Australia national sales manager.

The equipment is set for delivery to China in 2010 for subsequent installation on four new iron ore ship-loaders at Port Hedland. The deal includes cable and hose reelers, Brieda operator cabins and consoles, Cavotec Micro-control radio remote control systems and Brevetti steel slew chains.

As featured in Womp 2009 Vol 10 - www.womp-int.com