handling • transport • storage • distribution • processing · pdf...

HANDLING • TRANSPORT • STORAGE • DISTRIBUTION • PROCESSING JULY/AUGUST 2007

CONTENTS

NEWS

Mantsinen secures order 2

Thumbs up for Dhamra 3

RT to up Hope ore output 4

Victoria cuts red tape 5

New Black Sea port 20

GREAT LAKES

Are the lakes drying up? 6

CARGO HANDLING

Grabs grab greater sales 10

CONTINUOUS UNLOADERS

Strong market for CSUs 12

BRAKES

Braking solutions 14

CONVEYING

Better belt design 16

CEMENT

Handling and storage 18

Australia-based investor fundmanager Babcock & BrownInfrastructure (BBI) has ex-tended its European portsportfolio by taking a majorityshare in private operators inItaly and Belgium.

It has acquired 50.3% ofthe shares of Terminal RinfuseItalia SpA (TRI), the dry bulkhandling specialist withintallations in Venice, Genoaand Savona, for a reportedprice of A$92M, by buying80% of Estate SpA (ItalianaCoke group), which controls62.9% of TRI.

BBI is also understood tohave acquired 100% ofManuport, the Belgian firm

BBI buys more in Europewith stevedoring operations foriron and steel products, variousbulk commodities and contain-ers in Antwerp and Gent, aswell as a fleet of barges for drybulk transport and inter-portcontainer moves.

Manuport also has a for-warding affiliate, NorframLogistics, but this companywas in the process of mergingwith Hamann InternationalOverseas, so it is not clear thatBBI will assume control of it.

BBI already owns UK portsoperator PD Ports and, throughthat, Belgian inland containerterminal, Water Container Ter-minal (WCT) in Meerhout. Aspreviously reported in Bulk

Materials International, BBIalso acquired a majority stakein Tarragona Port Services SL,

the leading coal handler onSpain’s Mediterranean coast,earlier this year.

BBI has bought a majority share in TRI, which operates dry

bulk terminals in Genoa (pictured), Savona and Venice

ABB Grain Ltd is to invest aninitial A$6M in developing amajor grain container packingfacility alongside the compa-ny’s Port Adelaide grain ter-minal.

ABB’s board has approvedphase 1 of the three-stageproject which will see aPrograin-badged operationfunctioning by March 2008,subject to approval from thePort Adelaide-Enfield Coun-cil, and construction begin-ning in October this year.

Prograin is a wholly ownedsubsidiary of ABB that spe-cialises in innovative loadingof bulk grain in containers,fumigation, grain cleaning,grading and bagging facilities.

ABB managing director,Michael Iwaniw, said theproject was the first stage ofthe development of Adelaide’sInner Harbour as South Aus-tralia’s premier precinct for

ABB boxing grain

value adding agriculturalproducts. “Our strategy is toleverage ABB’s substantialasset base in Port Adelaide,the site’s prime location adja-

Grain being loaded into

containers vertically atPrograin’s Laverton North

facility in Victoria. The Port

Adelaide facility will employsimilar loading equipment

cent to Joe White Maltings’malthouse and its close prox-imity to the container exportfacility and the main railwayconnection to Melbourne,” hesaid.

The new facility will havethe capacity to pack around2,000t, or around 85 to 90 con-tainers daily, and will have adirect conveyor connected toABB’s Port Adelaide facilitieswith 450,000t of storage ca-pacity. The company plans todevelop stage 2 – a grainprocessing facility to cleanand grade grain and a con-tainer handling yard to im-prove container handling ef-ficiency - shortly.

Brazilian mining giantCompanhia Vale do Rio Doce(CVRD), is building theworld’s largest ore carriers tocarry iron ore to China as thelatter’s insatiable demand haspushed freight rates throughthe roof.

The company has orderedfour ships of 388,000 dwtthrough Norway’s BergesenWorldwide from China’s BohaiShipyard. Classed by DNV, thefirst ship will be delivered in2011 and consume about 30%less fuel per tonne carried.

José Carlos Martins, head ofCVRD’s iron ore division, saidthe aim was to build even big-ger ships with a capacity of500,000 dwt in the future. Hesaid the ships would be used totransport iron ore to China andwould come back empty. Thiswould be cheaper than the cur-rent freight rates.

Martins said it would costabout US$12 a tonne once thecompany used its own ships fora Brazil-China shuttle service.The strong growth of Chinesesteel production has created along-term imbalance in thestandard freight routes, with thevolume of iron ore being trans-ported to China growing morethan the volume coming theother way, which is why spotfreight costs have risen so fast.

CVRD expects to ship 100mt to China this year, up from77.87 mt in 2006.

Ore giantsfor CVRD

Ventspils Commercial Port(Ventspils TirdzniecibasOsta, VTO) is planning totransform a berth that cur-rently handles 4,000 m3 ofwood chips and 6,000m3 ofpeat per day into a terminalfor the transhipment ofhaydite, granite chips, peatbriquette, sawn timber andwood chips.

The port is one of two op-erators of dry bulk cargo ter-minals at Latvia’s largest freeport (in terms of volumes han-

dled). The other is theVentspils Grain Terminal.

Currently, the berth isequipped with portal cranesof 10-20t lifting capacity andstate-of-the-art scoop load-ing equipment. It has twoopen spaces (1000m2 each)for storage of wood chipsand peat.

VTO specialises in han-dling metals, coal, ferro-al-loys, grain and raw sugar. Theterminal’s storage capacityamounts to 200,000m3.

New bulk terminalplan at Ventspils

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BMI July/August 20072

News

Finland-based MantsinenGroup Ltd Oy reports an or-der for two more hydrauliccranes from the Russian Bal-tic Port of Vystosk, for coalhandling, bringing the totalto four. Two crawler-mounted Mantsinen 100cranes have been used forunloading rail cars andstockpiling for almost twoyears, but the new order isfor two electric-driven rail-mounted 100-class cranesthat can be used for shiploading work as well.

The portals will run on10.5m span rails on the pierenabling the cranes to workthe rail cars between thelegs. They will be fitted witha pantographic cab to enablethe driver to optimise his

view over the ship hold. Onaverage the cranes will per-form two cycles/minute,says Mantsinen. Maximumoutreach is 24m and theywill be fitted with Cavotec-Specimas cable reels.

Other new and recentbusiness reported byMantsinen includes the de-livery of the fifth crawler-mounted 140 crane to thePort of Halmstad in Sweden,while the southern SwedishPort of Kalmar has ordereda rubber-tyred MantsinenMCT 90. A crawler-mounted140 is under delivery to acustomer in Greece, forscrap handling, and a railportal-mounted scrap han-dler has been delivered to acustomer in Switzerland.

Mantsinen securesVystosk crane order

Two electrically-driven Mantsinen 100 cranes have beenordered by the Baltic Port of Vystosk

The Far East Transport Group(DVTG), one of Russia’s larg-est shipping and freight-for-warding companies, plans tomore than double the han-dling capacity of theNakhodka Fishing Seaport(NMRP) from the present1.1mtpa to 2.8mtpa over thenext three years.

According to DVTG chair-man Raisa Parshina, the ca-pacity growth will beachieved through the imple-mentation of the port’s devel-opment, which involves boththe upgrading of the existinghandling facilities, machineryand equipment and the con-struction of new terminals forthe handling and processingof timber, metals, containers(up to 300,000 TEU/year) andmotor cars (some 6,000/year).

DVTG technical directorIrina Chiganashkina esti-mates the NMRP develop-ment project will cost overUS$50M and the Group’swhole portfolio of investmentprojects for 2006-2007 isworth some US$400M. Thisincludes the acquisition ofnew rolling stock (aroundUS$200M), construction of amulti-purpose railway termi-nal at Zabaikalsk in the Rus-sian Far East (US$10M),and phase one of a rail con-tainer terminal at Tuchkovo,near Moscow (US$7M).

Nakhodkacapacityto double Nibulon, one of Ukraine’s

largest grain producers andtraders with 23 subsidiaries inthe country’s seven regions,has announced that it will in-vest up to US$30M this yearin the expansion of its grainhandling terminal at theUkrainian seaport ofMykolaiv. It is set to increasethe terminal’s handling capac-ity to 3 mtpa.

According to its directorgeneral Oleksiy Vadatursky,Nibulon is also planning todouble its grain crops area thisyear from 50,000 to 100,000hectares and build two moresilos in the country’s southand west.

The Mykolaiv terminal isbuilt on a 7 hectare lot at thecity’s Eastern Quay and is ca-pable of handling 1.7 mtpa andstoring 122,000t of grain. Twosilos each with a capacity of50,000t were built under theterminal’s phase one in 2002-2003 and four silos each with acapacity of 5,500t were builtunder phase three in 2005.

Since 2000 when it startedconstruction of the terminal,Nibulon has invested aroundUS$45M in the developmentof the port facility. Mykolaivwas chosen due to its geo-graphical location, which pro-vides a shorter rail route for

Nibulon to invest US$30M ingrain handling expansion

grain transit flows from Rus-sia and Kazakhstan comparedto the Black Sea ports ofIlyichevsk and Yuzhny inOdessa.

The Ukrainian TransportMinistry is set to deepen thelocal harbour’s access channelfrom the present 10.5m to11.5m-12m and so attract newprivate investors to the port.With its water area of 20.3hectares and 12.5m depthalongside the 352m longberth, Nibulon’s terminal isalready capable of handlingPanamax vessels.

There are a total of 22 largeseaport grain terminals inUkraine with an overall han-dling capacity of over 25mtpa. Harbour elevators are

capable of simultaneous stor-age of around 1.6mt of grain.However, Ukraine, one of theworld’s leading grain produc-ers and exporters, is likely todecrease its grain export from13.6mtpa in the marketingyear 2005/06 to just 9 mtpa in2006/07 due to export restric-tions imposed by the Cabinetof Prime Minister ViktorYanukovich in October 2006.

According to UkrainianGrain Association chairmanVolodimir Klimenko, theCabinet’s clumsy actions haveresulted in the export grainrotting in Ukrainian harbourelevators, grain traders suffer-ing huge losses (up toUS$200M) and the nation’sreputation being ruined.

Grain exports from the Ukraine look set to decrease to 9

mtpa in the marketing year 2006/07 due to restrictions

Western Australian minerMount Gibson Iron (MGI) hasbeen given clearance to pro-ceed with hematite and mag-netite mining and processingat Mount Gibson after the WAgovernment overruled theconcerns of its own Environ-mental Protection Authority(EPA) about the possible ef-fects on native vegetation.

The company will now de-velop the project, based about350 km north east of Perth,including plans to haul ironore 80 km by road toPerenjori, from where it willbe railed to the port ofGeraldton. MGI is also pro-posing a slurry pipeline for themagnetite and shiploading in-frastructure at Geraldton.

Separately, MGI shipped itsfirst ore from its Koolan Islandport in mid June. The bulkerCORONADO lifted almost 74,000tof lump iron ore for southernChina and was followed byCEMTEX WISDOM, which loaded75,000t of iron fines.� BHP Billiton will accelerateexpansion plans for its iron oreexports and develop a new portnear Port Hedland, presidentIan Ashby told a Port HedlandPort Authority conference. Thecompany will increase its ironore production to at least 300mtpa by 2015 and believeslonger term a new port will berequired. Ronsard Island, 60km west of Port Hedland, is apossible location, but the com-pany is exploring a number ofother sites.

MGI plangets nod

China’s demand for importediron ore is likely to be softerthis year than foreign analystsexpect, according to LuoBingsheng, secretary-generalof the China Iron and Steel As-sociation (CISA).

“The estimate of 400 mt byoverseas institutions is obvi-ously too high,” said Luo, whoexpects imports to rise 13% to367 mt. This figure is higherthan CISA’s earlier forecast of355 mt.

China, home to the world’sbiggest steel industry, im-ported 187.91 mt of iron orein the first half of this year, up16.4% year on year. If second-half imports continue at thisrate, full-year imports will be15% higher at 376 mt.

China, the world’s fourth-largest economy, is heading forthe fifth straight year of dou-ble-digit expansion this year,and that growth is expected tosustain robust demand for arange of commodities. How-ever, its iron ore imports slowedin June, falling 6% from a yearearlier to 26.9 mt and hitting anine-month low.

Luo said the three majorsuppliers - BHP Billiton, RioTinto and Companhia Vale doRio Doce (CVRD) - have no-tified Chinese steelmakersthey would cut supply by atleast 5 mt in the third quarter.

“The top three iron ore pro-ducers have intentionally re-duced output recently to pushup market prices in preparationfor next year’s talks,” he said.

The average price of Chi-na’s imported iron ore in Junewas US$84.03/tonne (CIF),up 42.9% year on year. Theaverage price for the first halfof the year was up 21.7%. AHong Kong-based commodi-ties trader said the increase iniron ore price was mainly trig-gered by rocketing freightrates due to shortage of ship-ping capacity.

CISA has again nominatedBaosteel Group, the country’stop steel producer, to leadprice negotiations for the yearstarting in April 2008 on be-half of the steel industry.

Last December, Baosteelreached an agreement withBrazil’s CVRD, the world’slargest supplier, on a 9.5%price rise for the year begin-ning April 2007, which wasfollowed by BHP and RioTinto. It was the first timeChina had set the price.

China’s steel output in-creased 20% last year to 423mt, and is expected to top 470mt this year. Its iron ore im-ports rose 18.5% last year to326 mt.� European investment bankUBS says that annual negotia-tions between iron ore minersand Asian steel mills may re-sult in a 25% higher price fromApril next year. The bank hadbeen forecasting an increase ofaround 10%, similar to the9.5% achieved last year, but in-creased Chinese steel produc-tion has prompted UBS to re-vise its price prediction.

China’s ore importstipped to grow 13%

BMI_pp01_20 8/9/07 08:42

BMI July/August 2007 3

News

Freightliner Heavy Haul Ltd (FHH)has begun operating coal trains fromHatfield Colliery in Stainforth, UK.The colliery has recently reopenedand resumed mining and on 24 July,the first train carried coal to theRatcliffe-on-Soar power station inNottinghamshire.

This traffic is part of a new long-term deal between FHH and E.ONUK to move significant volumes ofcoal to Ratcliffe and Ironbridgepower stations. To support this andother recent contract renewals withinthe coal sector, FHH has ordered afurther 110 HXA coal hoppers duefor delivery this autumn, and anotherfive low emission class 66 locomo-tives. This represents an investmentof nearly £17M in the coal industryand will take FHH’s fleet of coalwagons to over 650 hoppers.

First opened in 1910, Hatfield Col-

FHH has entered into a new contractwith E.ON UK that includes the

transport of coal from the recently

reopened Hatfield Colliery

FHH bags new coal dealliery has struggled to remain open inrecent years and ceased production in2004 for what most thought would befor the final time. However PowerfuelPLC, led by the former head of RJBMining, Richard Budge, embarked ona project to reopen the mine. Full re-furbishment of the mine is backed byRussian mining giant Kuzbass-razrezugal (KRU), and plans are thatby 2008, when production is at fullcapacity, Hatfield could be producingaround 2 mtpa and requiring up to sixtrains a day.

Martin Wilks, director coal anddeputy managing director, Freight-liner Heavy Haul Ltd commented:“These are exciting developmentsfor FHH. Our recent orders for addi-tional resources demonstrate a mas-sive and continuing investment intothe haulage of coal for the electric-ity supply industry.”

India’s Tata Steel says it will goahead with a Rs24.6B(US$610M)joint venture with Larsen & Toubro(L&T) to build an all-weather bulkport at Dhamra in eastern Orissastate.

Tata Steel spokesman YogeshJoshi said preliminary work is con-tinuing and the company has no in-tention of abandoning the projectdespite pressure from environmen-tal lobby group Greenpeace, whichdescribed the project as a “killingfield” for rare Olive Ridley turtlesand other marine life.

But the Orissa government ac-cused Greenpeace of manipulating aNorth Orissa University research re-port to show the port would ad-versely affect the region’s ecology.

The port is crucial as India’s cargothroughput is projected to rise to 2Btpa by 2016 from 760 mtpa last year.

Sheltered between the mainlandand Kanika Island, the port will beIndia’s deepest with a draught of18.5m and able to handle bulkers of180,000 dwt.

A consortium led by the IndustrialDevelopment Bank of India willpartly finance the project and DPCis working with French bank BNPParibas for infrastructure and con-struction funding.

When completed, the port willhave 13 berths to handle all types ofcargo, including liquid and containers,with annual capacity of over 83 mt.

Thumbs upfor Dhamra

Sunstate Cement is spending A$85Mexpanding its Port of Brisbane facil-ity to help meet south-east Queens-land’s growing building and infra-structure demands.

The project will feature a newgrinding mill to provide an extra500,000t a year, extra shiploading ca-pacity, additional storage for 4000t ofcement in two silos and a new fly ashprocessing system. There will also be70,000t of extra clinker storage.

Work on the project has alreadystarted and is expected to be com-pleted by 2009. On completion,Sunstate’s annual capacity will reach1.5 mt. Sunstate Cement is a jointventure between Adelaide Brightonand Blue Circle Southern Cement.

Sunstate addsin Brisbane

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BMI_pp01_20 30/8/07 2:06 pm


News

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Entire contents © WCN Publishing 2007

Endress+Hauser has an-nounced details of itsMicropilot M FMR250, a non-contact level monitoring solu-tion, suitable for extreme noiseand dust generated by manybulk solids applications, espe-cially during pneumatic filling.

The non-contact FMR250radar level gauge is perfectlyat home in demanding appli-cations. Conditions such asdust, filling noise, temperaturelayers and gas stratificationwill not prevent it from deliv-ering the highest measurementintegrity, says the company.

Measuring up to 70m, theMicropilot M FMR250 isclaimed to be ideal for high si-los containing dusty solidssuch as cement, animal feed

With a rise in the amount ofdomestic and commercialwaste being sent for recycling,Thorworld Industries reports abig increase in demand for itsmobile yard ramps from recy-cling companies in the UK.

As well as supplying majorrecyclers such as Biffa WasteServices, SCA Recycling andSmurfit Recycling, the rampshave been bought by manysmaller recycling businesses.

One of these customers isthe family-run, independentwaste paper recycler, PearceRecycling Group, which hasbought 15t Thorworld Deluxeyard ramps for its depots inMilton Keynes and St Albans.

Fork lift trucks drive up theramps to load twin bales of pa-per weighing up to 2.5t intocontainers, which then deliverthem to UK ports for shippingoverseas.

With an overall length of12.2m and a usable width of2.25m, the ramps are built us-ing the latest solid beam tech-nique, with a robust steel super-

structure. Heights range from890mm to 1680mm and theyhave a serrated open grid deckfor positive traction in allweather conditions. A hand-operated hydraulic pumpquickly raises them to the re-quired height.

For added versatility theramps have a built-in tow bar,allowing them to be easily andspeedily moved around by FLT.This makes them ideal for useat sites where there are no load-ing bays or raised docks.

To keep the ramps in topcondition, Thorworld providesa periodic inspection service,together with a comprehensivemaintenance back-up facility.

Thorworld Deluxe rampsare available in 10,000,12,000 and 15,000kg capaci-ties and can be purchased out-right, or rented through thecompany’s specialist RentA-Ramp operation.

Thorworld ramps provide an

ideal loading solution for

recycling applications

Mobile rampsaid recycling

Solids level measurementor even highly abrasive bulkssuch as ferrite.

The design features an in-tegrated echo platform, whichallows step-by-step commis-sioning, easy analysis and sys-tem optimisation, and the abil-ity to document the specificinstrument configuration aspart of quality procedures.

The two-wire FMR250 of-fers user-friendly operationand versatility, including anintegrated air purge as stand-ard - ideal for applicationswhich generate a build-up ofdust - and a top targetpositioner that can be adaptedto angled surfaces, minimis-ing interference reflectionsand ensuring reliable meas-urement.

Hong Kong-based ChinaRailway Logistics (CRL)plans to spend RMB6B(US$770M) to buy new wag-ons as it seeks to capitalise onthe rising demand for trans-porting fuel and metals inChina.

The company, whichsigned an agreement withChina’s Ministry of Railwaysto buy 300 coal wagons afterChina opened its rail transportsector to foreign investors inDecember last year, is nowholding talks with the Minis-try to buy 250 wagons totransport oil and metal.

“The investment for thesecond phase will be in placesoon after the first phase iscompleted in 2008,” a CRLofficial said.

The company has taken a49% stake in China RailwayTelevision Freight and Logis-

tics Transport (CRTFLT), ajoint venture under the Minis-try that will operate the wag-ons. CRL will be responsiblefor all the financing of the jointventure, while (CRTFLT) willprovide the licence for opera-tions and the railway network.About 35% of gross revenuewill be paid to the Ministry asrental for locomotives and trackfees. CRL is the first HongKong-listed company to forma partnership with the Ministryinvolving bulk cargo logistics.

The first batch of 30 wag-ons will be delivered in thethird quarter of this year and theremainder will come on streamby the end of next year. Thetrains will serve four railwayroutes connecting Shanxi,Xian, Chengdu and Inner Mon-golia to the coastal areas, ac-cording to Zhou Zhanzhou, anexecutive of CRTFLT. “As

long as 35 out of 55 wagonsare filled, the trains can makea profit,” he said.

Most of the coal is pro-duced in Shanxi and InnerMongolia, central and north-ern China, while consump-tion is mostly in the coastalprovinces. Yet less than halfof the coal produced inShanxi can be sold out of theprovince because of insuffi-cient transport capacity.

“China’s railway systemcarried 2.87 bt of cargo lastyear, against demand for 4bt,” CRL executive directorRoger Lim said. He attributedthe shortfall to insufficientrailway lines and wagons andpredicted the situation wouldworsen as old wagons aretaken out of service.

“The shortfall in supplywill account for 40% of de-mand,” he said.

CRL to buy more wagons

Rio Tinto (RT) and joint ven-ture partner Hancock Prospect-ing will spend A$350M on afast-track expansion of WesternAustralia’s Hope Downs ironore project, taking capacity to30 mtpa by the end of 2009.Work on the initial A$1B, 22mtpa project started in April2006, with first production ex-pected by early 2008.

Hope Downs will contrib-ute to the Pilbara Blend, thenew product that was firstshipped in July and comprisesBrockman and Marra Mambaore extracted from nine of RioTinto Iron Ore’s 11 mines in thePilbara. RT bought a 50% in-terest in the iron ore assets ofHope Downs Iron Ore fromHancock in July 2005.

In February RT announcedit would invest almostA$860M to help expand portfacilities at Cape Lambert inthe Pilbara, taking expenditureon facilities development inthe region close to A$5B.

The latest announcementcame after Rio posted recordproduction and shipment ofiron ore in its second quarter,up 11% to 37.117 mt, but sawcoking coal production affectedby infrastructure bottlenecks inQueensland and NSW.

RT has also announced itwill proceed with the A$1.8Bexpansion of the Yarwun alu-minium refinery at Gladstone,more than doubling annualproduction to 3.4 mt by 2011.Bauxite will be shipped to therefinery from Weipa, in north-ern Queensland, adding scaleefficiencies.

RT to upHope oreoutput

South Africa’s state owned railoperator, Spoornet, has finallyunveiled its plan for meetingthe government targets ontransferring bulk cargo on to therailways. Pretoria has asked thecompany to halt the switch toroad and increase the propor-tion of freight carried by railfrom 10% to 30% within fiveyears. A R31.5B capital invest-ment programme had alreadybeen lined up but the details ofthe strategy have now beenfleshed out. Spoornet essen-tially plans to develop a smaller

but more powerful fleet of en-gines to both boost capacity andimprove efficiency.

Transporting coal and ironore exports to Richards BayCoal Terminal on the IndianOcean and the port of Saldanhaon the Atlantic coast are likelyto remain at the heart ofSpoornet’s business plan. Newinvestment in coal and iron oremining should ensure that ex-ports increase and if the railoperator can compete with theroad hauliers, it should be ableto secure a large proportion of

that increase. However, thecompany also plans to launcha campaign to encourage thetransport of other forms of bulkcargo by rail.

Spoornet spokesmanMolatwane Likhethe said that514 locomotives would be re-furbished and 374 commis-sioned over the next five years.Likhethe continued: “The planis to have a smaller but morecapable fleet. We want to beable to do more with less.” Asa result, each engine would beable to increase the number of

wagons pulled from fewer than200 to more than 300. In addi-tion, the company plans to in-stall new signalling systemsand end its maintenance back-log. A turnaround in the com-pany’s fortunes is certainly re-quired. According to South Af-rica’s minister of transport, JeffRadebe, the number of locomo-tives and wagons in operationhas fallen by 33% and 28% re-spectively over the past threeyears, while the number of roadhaulage lorries had increasedby 16.5%.

The first section of the rail-way between Zimbabwe andthe Mozambican port of Beiraon the Indian Ocean is to reo-pen at the end of this year. Theline will mainly carry lime-stone, sugar and timber in thefirst instance but should alsoprovide an export outlet forcoal in the longer term.

The railway had been dam-aged as a result of attacks dur-ing Mozambique’s long civilwar and has been unusablesince 1984 but rehabilitation

work should gradually bringthe line back into use. A grantof $13M from the UnitedStates government enabledmines that had been plantedalong the railway to be clearedbetween 2002 and the end oflast year.

Prior to the civil war, the670 km railway carried 2.4 mtof freight a year but the gov-ernment of Mozambique isconfident that that figure canbe surpassed. Aside from coal,Maputo hopes that copper,

diamond and gold mining in-vestors can make use of therailway. The section of trackbetween Beira and the town ofDondo will be the first to reo-pen, enabling the export oflimestone from Muanza andtimber from Cheringoma.

It has also been reported inthe Mozambican press that thespur line in the Zambezi Val-ley will open as far asMarromeu by December, pro-viding an outlet for the re-gion’s sugar plantations.

However, it will be the coalexports of Brazilian companyCVRD from the Moatize minethat will provide the biggestboost to demand on the rail-way and at Beira. The lineshould be open as far west asMoatize by 2009. The reha-bilitation of the last stretch ofthe line into Zimbabwe, aswell as a spur line to Malawi,should provide further busi-ness for the line, which is op-erated by the Beira RailroadCorporation (CCFB). TheCorporation is mainly ownedby two Indian companies,Rites and Ircon.

Spoornet targets switch to rail...

...Beira railway on track

BMI_pp01_20 30/8/07 2:06 pm


News

The state governments of Riode Janeiro and Minas Geraisin Brazil have signed agree-ments to enable an area ofland on the coast near Rio tobe rehabilitated and used toestablish a new port.

To be known as Itaguaí, itwill cover an area of 110 hec-tares on the north coast ofSepetiba Bay. Its market fo-cus will mainly be on miningand metals companies innearby Minas Gerais statethat currently use facilities op-erated by CSN or CVRD.

There will be two key ele-ments in developing thisproject. One of them involvesIbama, the local environmen-tal body; the other encom-passes the trustees of the nowdefunct Areiense company,which owns much of the land.

About 15 delegations, most ofthem from Eastern Europeancountries, have visited thePolish port of Szczecin duringthe past two years. The focusof their interest has been theport’s coal handling operation,which has been carried out withan Aumund wagon tippler sinceSeptember 2003. Since then,more than 4mt of coal havebeen handled.

Aumund says its wagon tip-plers ensure an economic un-loading; up to 35 wagons witha weight of up to 80t can beunloaded each hour by meansof an hydraulic rotating system.

Aumund shows theway in coal handling

The wagon tippler productline differentiates between thefollowing three basic systems:the rotary tippler with its tip-ping angle of 360° and a han-dling capacity of up to 35wagons/hour; the side tipplerwith a tipping angle of up to150° and a handling capacityof up to 20 wagons/hour; andthe front-end tipper with a tip-ping capacity of up to 15 wag-ons/hour.

Aumund’s wagon tippler,

with its drive power of 2 x37KW, is operated via a

control stand

The major headache is thatthis area contains untreatedmineral by-products that willrequire processing before anycargo handling facility can beestablished in the area. Itaguaíwill be served by the BR-101coastal highway and also via arail link operated by MRSLogística.

Already the Rio de Janeirodock authority (CDRJ) has is-sued a tender for an iron oreterminal in the port. The projectwill be taken forward by theprivate sector and is expectedto require investment ofE127M. On offer is a 25 (+ 25option) year concession. Ca-pacity will be 8 mtpa and theterminal will occupy an areabetween the existing CSN andCVRD terminals. Sumitomoand BHP-Billiton have ex-

pressed an interest in theproject. One problem, how-ever, given the goals of theproject, is that CDRJ has notspecifically ruled out bidsfrom CSN and CVRD. Both,therefore, are considered po-tential bidders.� Brazilian mining companyMMX has been granted a li-cence to build a private portat Açú on the coast of Rio deJaneiro state. Construction isscheduled to commence inSeptember.

The facility will mainlyhandle exported iron ore fromwestern Minas Gerais state,which will be transported viaa 525 km long pipeline. Otherproducts will also be handledat the new port, which shouldbe fully operational by thethird quarter of 2009.

Rio and Minas Gerais toestablish Itaguaí portItaly-based grab maker

Euromec Srl reports an orderfor a new design of electro-hydraulic cactus grab to a Bariport operator, ImpresaPortuale Metropolitana SpA,which is part of DivellaGroup, one of Italy’s leadingfood companies.

The 18 m3 grab, which willbe fitted to a Fantuzzi Reggianeharbour mobile crane is fully-automatic and is equipped witha heat exchanger. It is sched-uled for delivery shortly.

In addition, the companyhas just received an order froma scrap metals recycler in Iranfor a highly-automated, highpressure scissors grab.

“This is a good time for us,”says Italo Civettini, Euromec’ssales manager, who adds thatin the past year a total of 16grabs have been sold toItalcementi for its cementworks in Calviso, Monseilice,Trieste, Isola delle Femmineand Novi Ligure.

New grab from Euromec

At the end of last yearEuromec sold a 10 m3 cactusgrab for handling cast-ironingots and scrap metal toCampostano group in the Portof Savona, which is fitted toa Gottwald HMK harbourmobile crane, suitable forloads (grab plus load) of upto 50t.

Similar grabs have beensold by Euromec to operators

Euromec’s new fully-automatic electro-hydraulic grab is

equipped with a heat exchanger

in Salerno and La Spezia.Campostano also acquired anew, 25 m3 clamshell grabfrom Rozzi for handlingclinker and coal (1.7t/m3)

Euromec, based in Isorella(Brescia), has three produc-tion facilities as a result of theearlier merger betweenEurohydromec and Isomec.

The Victorian Governmenthas moved to simplify grainshipments in the state by re-ducing regulation of the grainhandling and storage sector toa more “light-handed” accessregime.

The introduction in Parlia-ment of the Grain Handling andStorage Amendment Bill 2007follows an Essential ServicesCommission (ESC) review ofthe regulation of the grain han-dling and storage services pro-vided at ports.

The new regulatory regimewill apply to the grain handlingfacilities operated by Grain-Corp at Geelong and Portland,

and those operated by Austral-ian Bulk Alliance at the Port ofMelbourne. Under these newarrangements, GrainCorp andABA will prepare an undertak-ing which will contain the prin-ciples under which access to thefacilities is provided.

Instead of a licensing re-gime and associated fees, thisnew regime will allow the ESCto adopt more of a monitoringrole which would only see itintervening if the terminal op-erators fail to meet the require-ments of their undertakings.The licensing fees will disap-pear as the industry takes thestep towards self-regulation.

Victoria cuts grainhandling red tape

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BMI_pp01_20 30/8/07 2:07 pm


Great Lakes

Great Lakes - drying up?Ship operators on the Great Lakes are continuing to suffer from shallowwater. Some are beginning to wonder if it’s part of a long-term trendL

ake Superior, theworld’s largest freshwater lake, dropped to

its lowest level in 81 yearsthis summer, with the water20 inches below average anda foot lower than just a yearago. Lake Huron and LakeMichigan are also at lowlevels, although not quite asextreme as Superior.

In addition, researchershave found that LakeSuperior has been warmingeven faster than the climatearound it since the late 1970s,largely because of reducedice cover. Summer surfacetemperatures on the lake haveincreased about 4.5 degreessince 1979, compared withabout a 2.7 degree increase inthe region’s annual averageair temperature, meaning thatthe lake’s ‘summer season’ isnow beginning about twoweeks earlier than it did 27years ago.

Researchers note that thesurface temperature increaseis not only a symptom ofclimate change but could alsoreinforce itself over the years,with a trend toward warmerwinters meaning less winterice cover, thus allowing moresolar radiation to take placeand continued warming andevaporation. Although thelake normally freezes overcompletely about once every20 years, scientists say that ifthe current trend continues, itcould be routinely ice-free byabout 2040.

Low water, light loadsThe low water levels,combined with a lack ofadequate maintenancedredging in many ports andchannels, is meaning lower-than-normal loads for thebiggest bulk carriers plyingthe lakes. The Lake CarriersAssociation (LCA), whichrepresents 18 Americanowners operating 63 US-flagvessels, noted that its fleetmoved 12.1 mt of dry bulk

cargo in May of this year, avirtual tie with a year ago.

However, the lack ofadequate dredging combinedwith falling water levels - andthe resulting lighter loads -were blamed as the primaryfactor behind the staticgrowth. The LCA pointed outthat a 1,000ft US-flag Lakerthat carried four iron orecargos in May could havedelivered 285,000 t if able totake full loads but insteaddelivered only 195,000 t.

Vessels in the coal tradeexperienced similar results,with a 1,000-footer thatloaded six cargos during themonth leaving 30,000 t on the

loading docks because ofshallow water. Limestonecargos were also off 19%compared to a year ago, butthis trade has been impactedmore by slack demand and alabour dispute involvingthree ships rather than lightloading as most vesselsengaged in the traffic are ofonly medium size.

Steel exports resumeAfter watching imports offoreign steel mushroom overthe past decade a revitalisedUS steel industry, some of itnow under foreignownership, is beginning toproduce some exports.

This past June, about11,000 t of Indiana-madesteel was exported to Spainfrom the Lakes. The steel,made up largely of hot-rolledsteel coils from the MittalSteel mill in East Chicago,Indiana, was shipped throughFederal Marine Terminals atthe Port of Indiana-BurnsHarbor. This is the first exportshipment of steel through theport since 2005, and prior tothat there had been only about55,000 t shipped over theprevious three years. Thiscompares to a decade ago, in1995, when the port handledan all-time high of 243,000 tof exported steel.

Today, although exportsare making a come back,most steel is still imported.The Port of Burns Harbor,situated between two of thelargest steel mills in theUnited States, traditionallyhandles more oceangoingcargo than any other USGreat Lakes port, includingabout 15% of all the US steeltrade with Europe. Last year,the port set a new valuerecord, handling more than$584M of steel, up 57% from2005 but the vast majoritywas imported.

Indiana’s other two ports,both located on the OhioRiver, also set new records,with Mount Vernon posting$482M, up 20%, andJeffersonville $588M, upnearly 30%. Overall, thethree Indiana ports handled arecord $1.89B in cargo ship-ments during 2006 a 23% in-crease from the previous year.

Shallow draughtDespite low water, shipmentsof iron ore on the Lakesincreased 5% in Maycompared to the same montha year ago. However, lowwater levels and lack ofdredging continued to trimvessel loads.

Although many U.S.-FlagLakers are designed to load toa draught of 28 feet or more,vessels transiting the St.Marys River (which connectsLake Superior to the rest of theLakes system) had to load toless than 26 feet this spring.For a 1,000-foot-long vesselin the iron ore trade, 2 feet oflost draught translates into3,000 or more tonnes of cargoleft on the dock.

Lack of adequate dredgingin smaller ports furtheramplified the problem. Avessel delivering iron ore toHuron, Ohio had to limit itsdraft to 25’ 06” and still haddifficulty entering the harbour.Had a properly-maintainedchannel allowed for a fullload, the vessel could havedelivered more than 40,000 t.Instead, less than 35,000 twere in its holds.

For the first five months ofthe year the Great Lakes ironore trade stood at 16.7 mt, a

decrease of 5% compared tothe same point in 2006 andnearly 2% off thecommodity’s five-yearaverage for the January-Maytimeframe.

Lock out ‘Salties’?Besides low water, there isalso a growing concern aboutcontaminated water on theGreat Lakes, specificallywater brought in as ballast byforeign-going ships.

In a radical suggestion, acoalition of 90 environmentalgroups now wants to locksaltwater vessels out of theLakes until the US Congressrequires that ships sterilisetheir ballast water beforeentering the Welland Canallocks. The proposal is tangledup in legal and politicalquestions, including whetherthe United States could makea unilateral managementdecision for the St. LawrenceSeaway, which it jointly ownsand operates with Canada, butthe movement also countssome heavyweights among itsmembers, including theNature Conservancy, theNational Wildlife Federation,the National AudubonSociety, the National ParksConservation Association andDucks Unlimited.

Coalition spokesman JeffSkelding acknowledged thatthe conservation communityitself universally dismissedthe idea as outlandish when itwas broached a few yearsback but since thenconservationists have taken ahard look at the costs andbenefits of the currentsituation and have decidedthat a moratorium on overseasships in the Lakes mightactually make a lot of sense.

Musseling inTaking neither side in the de-bate, the US Army Corps ofEngineers says commercialnavigation on the Lakes gen-erates about $3.4B in busi-ness revenue annually butpoints out that most of thattraffic is confined to theLakes themselves, principallyiron ore and coal movements,and that oceangoing vesselsaccount for less than 7% of

Ice still closes down navigation on the Great Lakes for about three months each year, but ifcurrent climatic trends continue scientists say the Lakes could be relatively ice-free by

2040 (Photo: David Ruff)

Draught markings on ships plying the Great Lakes are beingwatched closely as water levels continue to drop

(Photo: David Ruff)

BMI_pp01_20 30/8/07 2:07 pm


Great Lakes

total cargo moved. This is typicallysteel transported in and grain trans-ported out. It has been estimated thatthe annual transportation savings as-sociated with these vessels enteringthe Lakes is only about $55M overwhat it would cost to either rail ortruck cargoes to and from saltwaterports.

There are now more than 180non-native species of marine life inthe Great Lakes and a new one isdiscovered, on average, about everysix months. Almost 70% of theinvasions since the Seaway openedin 1959 are blamed on ballast waterdischarges. The estimated price, todate, of just dealing with two of themore aggressive species, the zebraand quagga mussels, which clogwater inlets, is projected at morethan $2B.

Ethanol enterprisesOnly a few new services andterminals have been open or plannedfor construction on the Great Lakesover the past year. One new serviceinaugurated just before the close oflast year’s season employedNorlake Transportation’s barge#546 and the tug RADIUM

YELLOWKNIFE to carry bulk cornbetween Wallaceburg, Ontario andToledo, Ohio. Although the servicewas a success, and new loadingequipment for the corn has beeninstalled at Wallaceburg’s BruinsmaDock, some dredging of theSydenham River will still benecessary for the barge to handle itsfull deadweight.

Corn is becoming a commodityof some importance on the Lakes asthe demand for ethyl alcohol for useas an alternative motor fuelincreases. River-Wright Energy,one of the US’ new energy firms, isseeking about $20M in fundingfrom venture capitalists to supportthe construction of a $89M corn-to-energy plant at Buffalo, New Yorkthat would make use of some of thecity’s vacant grain elevators anddocks.

The bulk of the project’s cost isexpected to be financed by Frenchbank Societe General, and thefinished plant is expected togenerate about $288M a year insales once it comes on line.Projected is a facility that wouldconsume 40M bushels of cornannually and yield about 110Mgallons of ethanol. Corn currentlysells for about $3 per bushel andethanol about $2.10 a gallon.

Ethanol received a big boostearlier this year when PresidentBush proposed cutting US gasconsumption by 20% over the nextten years, mainly by switching todomestic-produced ethanol.

Tale of two canalsOne indicator of growth on theLakes is the Welland Canal near St.Catharine’s, Ontario which transited230 more vessels in 2006 than it didin 2005. A total of 3,673 ships usedthe canal’s locks last year, 1,840 ofwhich were up-bound and 1,833down-bound. The larger number ofships handled about 8% more cargo,with 37,419,664 t carried throughthe canal in 2006 compared to34,149,554 t in 2005. However, thisis still well down on the most recentrecord year for the canal when 3,909ships handled 43,536,317 t in 1988,much of it grain going to Russia.

The second major canal on theLakes, the Soo complex at Sault Ste.Marie, is awaiting US Senateapproval of recently-passedlegislation by the US House thatorders the US Army Corps of

Engineers to build a new navigationlock large enough to handle thebiggest of the coal and ore shipsoperating on the Lakes.

Over the years Americanlawmakers have appropriated about$13M for the designing of a newlock that would be at least equal tothe capacity of the existing Poe Lockat Sault Ste. Marie. However, noconstruction money has ever beenauthorised and since the first studiestook place over a decade ago thecost of building the new lock hasjumped from $227M to over$341M.

The House measure calls for thefederal government to pay the entire

The US Congress is pushing for anew navigation lock at Sault Ste.

Marie but has yet to authorise

money for its construction (Photo:David Ruff)

cost of the new lock but separatelegislation would still be needed toprovide funding. In 2005 an analysisof the project determined that thenew lock probably couldn’t bejustified on economic grounds alonebut would be worth the money whennational security was brought intothe equation. This is because anydamage to the Poe lock wouldcripple the movement of iron oreand coal going from Lake Superior

BMI_pp01_20 30/8/07 2:07 pm


Great Lakes

ports to steel mills and powerplants in the rest of the GreatLakes region.

Ships to bargesConstruction of new vesselsfor the Lakes trades continuesto be minimal, with ownersmore likely to moderniseexisting units or cut downolder hulls into barges. In thelatter sector, the next projectsare expected to see theconversion of the former carferry Nindawayma, once usedon Lake Huron, into a deckbarge.

At the same time adecision is pending onconversion of the bulkcarrierWINDOC into a bulk barge.WINDOC, heavily damaged ina collision with a bridge onthe Welland Canal six yearsago, is laid up alongside abreaking berth at PortColborne while its Quebec-based owners, a tug-and-barge firm, contemplate itsfuture.

The smaller Nindawaymahas already been moved tonearby Port Weller Drydockwhere its engines areexpected to be removed andsent to China forrehabilitation before beinginstalled in a new tug beingbuilt there for a Canadian

company. The finished tugwill then be brought back tothe Lakes and mated with atank barge for the movementof petroleum products. Thehull of the NINDAWAYMA isexpected to be cut down foroperation as a deck barge.

The newest tug-and-bargecombination on the Lakes isan ATB incorporating the tugSAMUEL DE CHAMPLAIN and thebulk cement bargeINNOVATION,which has beenplaced into operation byAmerican Transport Leasing,a subsidiary of cementmanufacturer Lafarge.

The next newbuilding isexpected to be a 360ft asphalttank barge being built byJeffboat LLC on the OhioRiver for delivery to theAndri Group in early 2009.

Cliffs’ productionCleveland-Cliffs Inc, one ofthe biggest iron ore supplierson the Great Lakes, reportedthat its first-quarter iron oreshipments were downcompared to 2006 but thatdemand is expected tostrengthen through the year.

In the first quarter, theCleveland, Ohio-based ironore supplier shipped 2.6 mt ofore from its North Americanmines compared to nearly 2.9

mt during the same period lastyear. The company noted thatiron ore pellet production atits Hibbing Taconite mineslipped from 2 mt in the firstquarter of last year to 1.2 mtthis year because the facility’swater supply froze, whichforced the plant to shut downfrom mid-February to mid-March.

Production at the firm’sTilden Mine, in UpperMichigan, declined from 1.7mt to 1.4 mt due tounscheduled equipmentrepairs, while production atits United Taconite facilitywas up slightly compared to2006.

Its Northshore MiningCompany produced 1.3 mt ofore, about the same as 2006.Total pellet production at thecompany’s six mines duringthe quarter was 7.4 mtcompared to 8 mt in the firstquarter of 2006, with this

year’s total productionexpected to exceed 22 mt.

At the same time, asettlement in world pelletprices for 2007 is projected toincrease Cliffs’ average pelletsales values by about 63 centsa tonne compared to 2006.

Nuggets on holdAlthough its iron ore businessremains solid, Cleveland-Cliffs has announced that aproposal to build the world’sfirst commercial iron nuggetplant is dead after partners inthe project were not able tocome to terms.

Cleveland-Cliffs, alongwith Kobe Steel, Steel Dy-namics Inc and Ferrometrics,had proposed building a$200M plant at the formerLTV Steel Mining Companysite near Hoyt Lakes, MN.

Despite the setback,Cleveland-Cliffs said it stillintends to pursue develop-

ment of a commercial-sizenugget plant at Cliffs’Northshore Mining facility inSilver Bay, MN with KobeSteel of Japan as partner.However, it recognises thatthe permitting for such aproject, especially along theshores of Lake Superior,could prove difficult.

Nevertheless, ShoheiManabe, Kobe Steel generalmanager, remains optimistic.

“We are committed to thereduced iron business andbelieve that the iron nuggettechnology can significantlyalter the raw materiallandscape for steelproducers,” he said. “Whilewe are also disappointed bythe delay caused by thissetback (at LTV ), we arenonetheless optimisticregarding the technology, aswell as building theinnovative operation inMinnesota.

“We look forward toworking with Cleveland-Cliffs and the state ofMinnesota to commerciallydeploy this technology.”

In the meantime,Cleveland-Cliffs is planningto restart furnace No. 5, apelletizing furnace at SilverBay, to boost iron ore pelletproduction there by about800,000 t annually. Thisfollows the signing of new

long-term pellet supplycontracts with AK Steel andRepublic Steel.

Soft coalThe coal market on the GreatLakes has remained strongbut has been running slightlysofter than last year, primarilybecause most regional powergenerating plants entered thespring months with a goodsupply of coal already onhand.

During the first month ofthis year’s navigation seasonthe Midwest EnergyResources Company atDuluth-Superior, consideredthe busiest coal terminal onthe Lakes, loaded 12 vesselswith nearly 578,000 t of coal,about 9% less than the635,000 t loaded on 13 shipsduring the same period lastyear. Because of low waterMidwest has been loadingvessels about 3% to 5 %lighter than in 2006. Thismeans that the average 1,000-foot bulk carrier has beentaking on only about 59,000 tof coal as compared withabout 62,000 t last year, and68,000 t if the water level onthe Lakes was normal.

Other coal shippingoperations on the Lakesreported similar low loads,with systemwide shipmentstotaling only 1.2 mt in the

Coal loadings on the Lakes have been soft through the first

half of the year because of high stockpiles at regional power

plants (Photo: David Ruff)

Tug and barge combinations, such as the ATB GREAT LAKES TRADER, are increasingly taking over duties from self-propelledbulk carriers on the Lakes because of their cheaper operating costs (Photo: David Ruff)

A growing number of environmental groups want saltwaterships locked out of the Lakes until the US Congress requires

that they sterilise their ballast water before entering the

Welland Canal locks (Photo: Jim Shaw)

BMI_pp01_20 30/8/07 2:07 pm


Great Lakes

inaugural month of the season,down 28% over the same period lastyear.

Light LimestoneShipments of limestone on the Lakeswere off at the start of the year whena labour strike hit three vessels thatspecialise in the commodity. Loadshave been recovering steadily sincea 9% decrease was noted in April.Shippers said inventories were lowwhen the current navigation seasonopened because mild weather towardthe end of 2006 allowed quarries toship most of their production beforeheavy weather set in. Since mostlimestone used on the Lakes iswashed before it is shipped,quarrying cannot resume until theweather warms and the stone can bewashed without the water freezing.

By the end of April about 3.5 mthad been shipped, off nearly a 1 mtcompared to the same point last year,although only down about 330,000net tonnes from the five-year averagefor the commodity.

Essar emergesOne of the most newsworthy eventsof the past year has been a move byEssar of India to acquire two majorNorth American steel producersactive on the Lakes, one in Canadaand the other in the United States.

This past spring Canada’sAlgoma Steel agreed in principle tobe acquired by the India-basedconglomerate for about $1.85B,with Essar to pay $56 per share forAlgoma, which represents a 48%premium. Algoma’s board ofdirectors unanimously supports theproposal because of the significantpremium offered but the deal muststill be approved by Algoma’sshareholders as well as Canadianfederal regulators.

Algoma is an integrated steelproducer, with steel shipments ap-proaching 2.4 mt annually, but hasbeen working under strained labourrelations and has also undergonetwo court-protected financialrestructurings since the 1990s. It putitself up for sale in 2005 but brokeoff takeover talks with Germany’sSalzgitter AG earlier this year.

If the Essar deal closes, the salewould continue the consolidation ofthe Canadian steel sector, which hasseen a number of well knowncompanies acquired by bigger rivalsor restructured to stay alive.

Slabs in 36 hoursIn the US, Essar is hoping topurchase Minnesota Steel Industries(MSI), based in St. Paul, Minnesotafor about $100M. MSI controls ironore reserves in excess of 1.4 bt butof immediate interest to Essar is afully-integrated iron-to-steel milloperation that the US companyplans to build at a defunct taconitemine on the Mesabi Iron Range.

Last year MSI entered into anexclusive $600M agreement withsteel plant engineers and designersHYL and Danieli to providecommercially-proven technologyfor the direct-reduced iron plant,along with electric arc furnaces andassociated processing equipmentthat would be used in the mill toprocess iron ore and producefinished steel slabs. The completefacility could require a totalinvestment of $1.6B but would beconsidered an excellent fit withAlgoma’s operations across theborder, both geographically andoperationally.

Although MSI is willing to beabsorbed by cash-rich Essar, thedeal still needs environmental and

Low water, sometimes less than 26feet, means that ore carriers on the

Lakes are moving less cargo per

voyage this year (Photo: David Ruff)

regulatory approval. Nevertheless,officials of both companies expectconstruction of the new iron-to-steelmill to begin by the end of this year,with the plant going operationalbefore the end of 2009. It isprojected that the finished plant willbe able to ship steel within 36 hoursof the iron ore coming out of theground and that up to 1.5 mt of slabscould be produced in the first year,with production eventually rampingup to 2.5 mt annually. �

BMI_pp01_20 30/8/07 2:08 pm


Cargo Handling

Grabs grab greater salesT

he Baltic Dry Index,the recognised benchmark for fixing bulk

vessel charter rates, is nowstanding at 7474 points, a riseof over 100 points in 12months. No shortage of car-goes, and healthy freight rates,means that reducing shipturnaround times to maximisebulker utilisation is now para-mount.

A simple fix, in many cases,is to upgrade or replace grabswhich, as the actual point ofcontact with the cargo, tend tosuffer from bad handling pro-cedures. Investing in newgrabs also allows the operatorto upgrade to more environ-mentally friendly designs asgrab designers have displayeda high degree of flexibility inadapting to tougher environ-mental standards.

Suppliers such as Nemag,Verstegen, Peiner and MRSGriefer, for example, now of-fer enclosed grabs for mostbulk commodities. Verstegenstates that over 30% of its pro-duction of coal grabs are nowof the fully-enclosed type, withthis share still increasing.Similarly, MRS explains thatits designs are particularlysuited to finer, powdery com-modities where there is a dan-ger of dust spillage.

There are probably no newdebating points about the mer-its of particular grab construc-

tion principles, but they doneed to be aired from time totime to reflect what is beingsaid in the market. One suchpoint concerns grab self-weight and the use of specialsteels to reduce it.

For MRS Griefer, the start-ing point is always the safeworking load (SWL) of thecrane and the throughput de-mand of the crane operator.Using Hardox or similar hightensile steel saves weight andadds to payload. On the otherhand, if the grab is too light"diggability" problems might

arise. Decisions, the companyargues, need to be taken on acase-by-case basis, in relationto the nature of the products,the throughput required, thecrane speeds and SWL.

Steely questionWhile MRS’ position on HTsteels is essentially a "neutral"one, one of the foremost expo-nents of HT steels is Verstegen.

Verstegen claims that due tothe use of high tensile steelsand a low friction bearing sys-tem, in combination with agood grab design, it is possi-

ble to design and constructlightweight grabs with excel-lent digging abilities. Despitetheir low deadweight, thegrabs can be manufactured tobe very strong and reliable.

All Verstegen two-scalegrabs are provided with self-aligning spherical bearings onthe main hinge points and cyl-inder roller bearings for thepulleys and rope guide rollers.

The complete grab scales,cutting edges as well as scaleplates, are made from high ten-sile, wear-resistant Hardoxsteels which is two to threetimes stronger than normalconstruction steel; the wearresistance is four times that ofcommonly used steels.

The company concedes thatthey will add 5-10% to theprice of a given grab comparedto using conventional, mildsteels, but this is more thanmade up by the weight savingand the resulting increase inmaterial handled per crane cy-cle, and hence the saving intime for the ship. The point ofdeparture is the capacity on theropes of the crane.

Tensile testFor example, Verstegen takesan 18 m3 coal grab made frommild steel plate, with a self-weight of 12t. At 1 t/m3, thismeans 18t of coal per cranecycle. The equivalent grab inHT steel weighs 1-1.5t less, soits volumetric capacity can beincreased to >19 m3, i.e. 19tpayload.

Typically a 100,000 dwtbulker would be worked bytwo 30t unloaders. With a peakcycling rate of 60 secs, thistranslates into 1080 t/h for theconventional grab and 1170 t/h for the HT steel grab. In rawterms, one crane would take 46hours to unload 50,000t andthe other 42.7 hours.

These figures are hypotheti-cal since the peak digging ratereduces as the cargo is progres-sively unloaded, due to factorssuch as the longer hoist/lowerdistances, less than full bucket,clean-up operations. Typically,a factor of 0.55-0.56 must beadjusted to the peak rate to geta realistic through-the-shiprate.

This results in 72 hours forthe conventional grab andabout 66 hours for the HT steelgrab, a saving of almost half aday which can be significantin relation to demurrage costsin the range of US$20-30,000/day for colliers in the 100,000dwt range. The payback periodfor a grab costing €3-6000more than a conventional grabis very short.

Motoring onAnother supplier, Rozzi inItaly, specialising in electro-hydraulic grabs, also claimsthat use of high tensile steelswith a high resistance level haspermitted both a reduction ingrab weight and an increase incycle life times. One clamshelldesign in its product range in-corporates tines fabricated al-most completely from high-resistant steel to achieve evenlower self-weight.

Peiner Grabs (SMAG) em-phasises the need for the grabto have a certain minimumdead weight, certainly for ropegrabs, and it recommends con-ventional high quality steel ofst 52-3 grade. If the grab is toolight, says Peiner, there is adanger of the ropes having apoor contact with the sheaveswhen an empty grab is beingclosed, resulting in high ropeand sheave wear. Overall,Peiner claims, conventionalsteel provides for longer grablife than HT steel.

Peiner also notes a growingdemand for maintenance-freegrabs, for which it offers syn-thetic Mangachoc or Oiles 500bearings. It usually recom-mends standard bearings ofmangam hard steel, which areproven and result in low lifecosts, but will require periodicgreasing. Grease also attractsparticles from the cargo (unlessthe bearing caps are well de-signed and maintained) whichwill lead to accelerated wear.Infact, over-greasing can alsohave the same result.

An advantage of a mainte-nance regime is that the grabgets checked from time totime. Small damages can bepicked up and addressed lead-ing to better security in thegrab operation. Maintenance

Rising commodity prices and volumes traded are leading to portcongestion and increased demurrage at a time of rapidlyincreasing freight rates. This puts substantial pressure on portoperators to improve discharging production

Increasing demand on reducing ship turnaround and avoiding

expensive demurrage claims is making bulk stevedores more

inclined to invest in quayside handling plant, including grabs.Note the in-built ladder incorporated into the upper frame to

facilitate maintenance access to the grab sheaves and bearings

BMI_pp01_20 8/9/07 08:48


Cargo Handling

takes only a few minutes, although forlarger grabs access to the top sheavesand closing mechanism might requirean access tower unless the grab canbe laid on its side or a ladder has beenbuilt into the grab structure.

Closing argumentPossibly the simplest grab design is asingle rope model where the crane hasonly a single hoist rope and grab clo-sure. Opening is achieved by separatewires not reeved through the jib headblock but connected directly to thecrane. This can limit operations to lowfreeboard vessels where the hatchcoaming is lower than the closingtugger winch on the crane, but it is ahighly cost effective system for dis-charging smaller vessels or for use byship-mounted cranes.

In contrast to mechanical single-rope grabs, diesel hydraulic grabs,which also only require a single cranehoist and no secondary closing wiresor tugger winches, generate a morepowerful closing force on the clos-ing edges. They are able to handleheavy bulk cargo, such as coal andiron ore, while providing high effi-ciency clamshell filling.

German manufacturer Orts spe-cialises in diesel electric grabs andclaims that for a radio-controlled sin-gle-rope grab with a 7 m3 capacity,the diesel-hydraulic grab offers a rateof over 300tph handling iron ore, andthe same rate for cement clinker witha 12 m3 capacity grab. To handle acargo with an average piled densityof 1.8t/m3 with a 12 m3 capacity con-ventional rope grab would have a tareweight of around 10.5 to 11t.

A radio-controlled diesel-hydrau-lic grab with a capacity of 12 m3 tohandle the same commodity densityhas a tare weight of 7. 8t. This meansa vessel fitted with 30 t cranes han-dling a cargo with a density of 1.6t/m3 is fitted with a diesel-hydraulicgrab of 12 m3 capacity would have apayload of 19.2t. With the grabweight of 7.8t this would give anoverall load on the rope of 27t.

For a similar mechanical single-rope grab, rope load would be 29.7t,i.e. tare weight of 10.5t + 19.2t pay-load.

DownsizeThe SWL of a modern ship’s cranefor normal cargo operations is 30t asa standard ship’s crane design is nor-mally based on container handling

applications. As crane manufacturersrecommend derating the SWL forgrab operation by approximately 10–12% due to the additional forces re-quired, in an example of digging outthe cargo for a 30t crane rating, theSWL for grab operation would be re-duced to 26.4 - 27t. In this case, a 12m3 mechanical single-rope grabwould too heavy.

If possible, the capacity of the sin-gle-rope grab has to be reduced to 10m3 through the fitting of trimmingplates before the operation can start.

This, claims Orts, will give the ra-dio controlled diesel-hydraulic graba greater throughput, as not only doesit have a faster cycle time than its me-

chanical counterpart due to the morepositive closing action in the cargo,but it would also be carrying 2 m3

more cargo per cycle.

Topping outWith mechanical single-rope grabssometimes the unloading of a vesselmust be stopped because of low tidein the port, which means that hoppersare out of reach for single-rope grabsas they are too high. The closing ropegives a fixed working height; the av-erage for a 12 m3 single-rope grab isapproximately 10–12 m, dependingon how the rope is reeved within thegrab.

For heavy bulk cargoes such as

While hydraulic operated grabs may

suffer a weight penalty, they

provide greater flexibility over thechoice of crane required. The MRS

hydraulic unit (top) is equipped with

a power pack requiring an electricalfeed from the crane while the

Verstegen grab (lower) is an

integrated design fitted to anexcavator-based crane from which

it sources its hydraulic power

iron ore, the closing rope has to bereeved more than 3x in a single-ropegrab but with a 4x folded closing rope,the working height increases as doesthe closure time. A further problemfor single-rope grabs is that the work-ing height also limits the minimumdistance between the jib head andgrab, so the crane driver must com-pensate this 10–12 m working heightwith the jib.

This factor does not pose a prob-lem for a diesel-hydraulic design,which has no closing ropes and there-fore requires no height adjustment forheavy cargoes as clamshell closing isthrough hydraulic rams. �

A single (crane) rope grab offers themost cost effective ship discharging

grabbing operation, but only for

specific applications because theship’s coaming must be lower than

the tugger closure wires to prevent

snagging

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Email: [email protected]

BMI_pp01_20 17/9/07 1:40 pm


Continuous Unloaders

Record commodity prices spur CSU investmentP

ower utilities in bothEurope and Asia tendto favour CSU

discharge systems. This is forboth environmental reasonsand also because this designfits in with their engineeringexpertise in terms of movingcoal by conveying systems -essentially, the marine leg ofa CSU can be considered avertical conveyor.

In January 2004, forinstance, the Japanese maincontractor Sumitomo for thenew Tanjung Bin 3 x 700 MW(2100 MW total) coal-firedpower plant, Johor, Malaysia,awarded ThyssenKruppFördertechnik GmbH (TFK)the contract to supply, erectand commission the completeturnkey coal handling plantfor the complex.

The scope of supply and

With commodity prices reaching all time highs,operators are investing in new high efficiencytechnology to maintain a competitive edge

commissioning for the coalhandling system includedthree combined bucketwheelstacking and reclaimingmachines and the completebelt conveyor system with itsadvanced control system, aswell as two continuous shipunloaders.

The two continuous shipunloaders are designed tounload ships ranging from35,000 up to 150,000 dwt atan unloading rate of 2000 tphapiece.

Interestingly, Sumitomoalso has its own successfulbucket wheel CSU design anddelivered one unit last year to

a Japanese steel mill withanother machine currentlybeing commissioned.

The former machine has aslewing radius of 53m toenable it to discharge bulkersin the 200,000dwt to350,000dwt range at a rate of3500 tph for iron ore and2000 tph handling coal.

The second unit, to belocated at a different steelmaking complex, is slightlysmaller with a 52m slewingradius to handle bulkers up to210,000dwt and will have arated capacity of 2700 tph todischarge coal, with noprovision made for handlingiron ore.

Careful monitoringFor the Tanjung Bin contract,Sumitomo awarded the coalhandling contract to TKF asthe German company wasbetter placed to provide thecomplete range of plantrequired.

The high degree ofautomation and the use of ac o m p u t e r - c o n t r o l l e dunloading program usingTKF’s Computer AidedUnloading (CAU) systemallows the operator tomonitor and control theunloading process and allmovements of the machinefrom a cabin situated next tothe bucket elevator, using thevideo-aided system. This canbe backed up by a radiocontrol system to remotelyco-ordinate and adjust themovements of the unloaderleg and flow processes, whichcould be controlled, forinstance, from the hatchcoaming.

Each shipunloader isequipped with an additionalhopper, ensuring a continuousfeed to the belt conveyors,with the volume flow ratebeing adjustable. By using thefoot adjustment on the bucketelevator on the continuousshipunloaders, the operatorcan follow the movementsboth of the material beingunloaded and the vessel itselfso that any necessaryadjustments can be madequickly and efficiently.

Round the tableA new component, the rotaryfeeding table, has beensuccessfully integrated intothe unloader system, whichensures a continuous materialdischarge at the bucketelevator, while at the sametime helping to reduce theoverall height to a minimum.The fitting of an angledunloading tube now makes itpossible to reach the areasunder the hatches easily andto get to the walls in the holdsof larger ships early on in theunloading operation.

Following the completionof the design and fabrication,both unloaders were shippedto their final destination

where the necessarycommissioning activitiesbegan as soon as themachines had been off-loaded. Intensive training wascarried out in parallel with theinstallation work in order toprepare the operators for thehandling of the machine andthe forthcoming unloadingtests.

The two CSUs had to un-load the correct tonnage in apre-determined period of timefrom a designated vessel inorder to obtain acceptancefrom the client. In doing this,the machines demonstratedtheir ability to fulfil the speci-fied requirements with regardto their peak unloading ca-pacity, their ability to unloadwithin a predetermined pe-riod and also to unload theentire vessel.

The three bucket wheelstacking and reclaimingmachines, as well as thecontrol system and the beltconveyor system - except forthe belt conveyor extensionsto the bunkers of the powerplant unit 2 and unit 3 - havenow been commissioned. Theextensions to the bunkers ofunits 2 and 3 will becommissioned in 2007according to schedule.

Follow throughFollowing on from thiscontract for the Tanjung Binplant, TKF has been awardeda similar contract, also onturnkey basis, for the1400MW coal-fired JimahPower Plant project, atMukim Jimah, Daerah PortDickson in Malaysia. This

project is scheduled forcommissioning January2009, when the first 700MWplant is fired up, to befollowed by the secondcoming on line in July 2009.

The award of this contractis a bonus for TKF as not onlydoes it provide the Germanengineering group with acontinuation of work in thesame country enabling it touse the experience with itslocal sub-contractors to goodeffect, it can also follow-upthe commissioning and workof the Tanjung Bin powercomplex.

Market successTKF has enjoyed consider-able success in the CSU coalhandling market and could beconsidered current marketleader. Prior to the Malaysiancontracts, it had commis-sioned a third CSU for theHoushi Power Plant atXiamen in the Fujian Prov-ince of China. This coal-firedpower plant is alreadyequipped with three shipunloaders handling the coalrequired for its energy pro-duction, with two of thesebeing TFK units in operationsince 1997; the third wassourced from another sup-plier in 2002.

In order to meet theincreasing coal consumptionas the power plant isupgraded, this new shipunloader has been designed tounload ships ranging from35,000 to 100,000 dwt at anaverage unloading rate inexcess of 1800 tph, some1000 tph more than the earlier

machines can achieve.The Italian group Tenova,

which recently changed itsname from Techint, is cur-rently working on the tendersto convert two of Enel’spower stations from oil to“clean coal,” in line with theItalian government’s new en-ergy policy.

As part of this contract,four new CSUs have beenordered, with two destined forthe Bríndisi power complexand two for theTorrevaldaliga plant atCivitavecchia. Techintpreviously supplied theBríndisi South plant with acoal transport and feedingline between 1995 and 1998that reduced this plant’sdependence on oil. AtCivitavecchia, the newproject is predicated toachieve a 30% reduction inemissions.

The two CSUs for theTorrevaldaliga Nord are eachrated at 1500 tph while thetwo for the Enel Federico IIplant in Bríndisi (plus anoption for another unit) arerated at 1800 tph. Themachines will be of anenvironmental - f r iendlydesign and the contractincludes three years ofmaintenance service to becarried out by Techint at bothinstallations.

Screw successAs the new owners of BMH,MacGregor will supply on aturn key basis a Siwertell640-M continuous screw typeship unloader to FormosaPlastic Corp, Taiwan for its

Continuous screw type unloaders, such as the MacGregor-Siwertell design, can provide avirtually dust free discharge environment, making them suitable for commodities from cement

to grain. Nigerian Flour Mills will demonstrate this later this year when these two commodities

will be handled on the same jetty by Siwertell CSUs

Chutes for loading any dry bulk material

into tanker trucks, open trucks, rail wagons,

ships and for stock piling. Loading chutes

both with and without integrated fi lter.

Full ATEX-approval.

· Dust free loading solutions

· Clean environment and working safety in one product

Cimbria Modufl exGrøndahlsvej 19-317400 HerningDanmark

Tel: +45 97 22 32 00Fax: +45 97 22 38 11

E-mail: modufl [email protected]

www.cimbria.com

BMI_pp01_20 30/8/07 2:08 pm


Continuous Unloaders

Ningbu plant in China in Decemberthis year. It will discharge coal at arated capacity of 1000 tph from50,000 dwt ships.

The contract also calls forMacGregor to supervise theassembly and commissioning of thesystem, and supply spare parts asrequired.The new contract marks astrong relationship with theFormosa Plastic Corp, who alreadyoperate five Siwertell unloaders fortheir Mai Liao Plant in Taiwan.

MacGregor has also beencontracted to deliver a Siwertell790-D continuous screw type shipunloader in July 2008 to dischargecoal for Mirant Mid-Atlantic LLC.This order, together with an orderfor a limestone/gypsum unloader/loader in 2005, are significant; whileSiwertell CSUs have a strongmarket presence in the US cementhandling scene, this is the first timeit has been able to break into the UScoal- and limestone-handlingmarkets.

The operator needs the newunloader as it is changing the way itsupplies coal to its power plant fromrail to 20,000 dwt barges, inresponse to increasing railcongestion and rising tariffs inNorth America. The new unit, whichwill be larger than the Siwertell 640-m to be delivered to the Ningbuplant, has a rated capacity of 1,530tph when discharging 20,000 dwtbarges.

Dust reductionElsewhere, MacGregor is supplyinga cement unloader and conveyingsystem to a terminal at an as yet un-disclosed location, to meet the cli-ent’s demands to increase its cementhandling capacity and logistics.

The Siwertell ship unloader willhave a rated capacity of 900 tphfrom Panamax-size ships, and willbe built in China. The system willbe delivered in October 2007, andthe contract also calls forMacGregor to supervise assemblyand commissioning.

For a Greek operation,MacGregor will also deliver aSiwertell 700-L continuous screw-type loader for loading cement at arated capacity of 800 tph toPanamax-size ships for Titan Ce-ment. The system will be built inEurope and delivered in August2007.

While the use of a powered screwin a loading system, which in theoryonly relies on gravity, can beconsidered an engineering overkill,its use significantly reduces dustgeneration and provides greatercontrol over the loading process.

For another very dustycommodity, a new order for a screw-type loader represents abreakthrough for the company intoa new sector - alumina handling forthe aluminium production industry.MacGregor will supply a Siwertellship loader for loading alumina at arated capacity of 2000 tph toPanamax-size ships. The contractalso calls for MacGregor tosupervise the assembly andcommissioning of the system. Theunit will be built in Europe anddelivered in April 2008.

Agri-bulk highsWith grain prices reaching an alltime high, agri-bulk importers arelooking to invest while the marketis tight to improve productivity. TheInternational Grains Council, forinstance, has cut its estimate for the2007-2008 wheat harvest to 607 mtwhile forecasting demand will reach614 mt. This will require substantial

stock draw down from wheatinventories which are already attheir lowest level since 1979.

Add to this growing demand foragri-bulks grown for ethanolproduction, there could be a strongsurge for new handling systems toimprove efficiency.

The US company Southern StarShipping has contractedMacGregor to supply a Siwertellship unloader for unloading grain ata rated capacity of 600 tph fromships of up to 70,000 dwt foroperation by Nigerian Flour Millsin Nigeria. The Siwertell 490-Mcontinuous screw type ship unloaderwill be delivered in October 2007.

Power utilities in Asia tend to favourCSU discharge systems, both for

environmental reasons and because

this design fits with theirengineering expertise in terms of

moving coal by continuous

conveying systems

The operator is increasing wheatimport to its flour mill and the newunloader is replacing old inefficientpneumatic units. The companyalready uses a Siwertell unloader onthe same jetty for its cement importoperation, and concluded thatcommon technology and spare partscoupled with high efficiency, madea Siwertell unit best suited for thisapplication. �

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BMI_pp01_20 30/8/07 2:08 pm


Brakes

Ensuring an even brakeR

ecent and continuingclimate changes havewith increasing fre-

quency resulted in high-speedgusts of winds causing damageto port equipment throughoutthe world.

According to Hillmar In-dustries based in Delta, BC,Canada, the most vulnerableand worst affected items ofport infrastructure are dry bulkterminal equipment such asshiploaders and unloaders.

Presenting large sail areasand of comparatively light-weight construction, they arequite often blown off theirtracks and into the water if notequipped with sufficient park-ing devices. In practice, whattends to happen is that the su-perstructure starts to move outof control if rail clamps have

Of all dockside equipment, shiploaders are the most vulnerable tobeing blown off their rails by high winds. Storm brakes and rail clampsprovide a safeguard against such an eventuality and several manufac-turers have recently developed intelligent systems capable of self-diagnostics and minimising torque transfer into the crane structure.Similar technology can also be applied to belt conveyor braking systems

Following storm damage to this goliath crane, RIMA installed

a series of self-blocking rail clamps and wheel brakes

Braking system from Svendborg Brakes fitted to a Lindø

shipyard cranenot been installed or engagedand the primary motor brakesare subsequently found to beineffective.

An accident of this type re-cently occurred at a coal load-ing installation in Vancouver.A shiploader was severelydamaged by wind which wasmeasured at speeds of over100km/h. A local engineeringconsultancy was subsequentlyawarded the order to refurbish

the cranes, with particular em-phasis given to safety and serv-iceability. Hillmar Industrieshas been contracted to supplya new set of rail clamps for allthree shiploaders.

Storm brakesHillmar is among the world’sleading specialists in providingbraking solutions for all typesof heavy-duty crane includingrail-mounted gantry cranes,ship-to-shore container cranes,shiploaders and log-handlingcranes as well as stacker/reclaimers. Here static or dy-namic storm brakes act asparking brakes to prevent thestructure from moving as a re-sult of sudden wind gusts.

The company has over 25years experience in the field ofheavy-duty industrial brakingand continues to develop sup-plementary products for theindustry. In addition to theabove it manufactures thrusterdisc brakes for high-speedservice braking applicationsand industrial calliper brakeswhere there is a need for low-

speed emergency braking aswell as cable and hose reels.

The company, which is ISO9001:9004 registered in recog-nition of successful implemen-tation of a quality managementsystem, points out that thereare many variables to considerwhen selecting a storm brakesystem. These can include therequired braking/holding ca-pacity, dynamic braking (as-sistance to the motor brakes tostop the crane in an emer-gency) and the condition of therail.

Hillmar has developed abroad range of storm brakeproducts to address the aboverequirements. These includerail clamps, rail brakes,thruster rail brakes, andthruster wheel chocks.

Rail clampsAccording to Troy Dickson ofHillmar the rail clamp is of-ten selected as the preferredsecondary holding device tosupplement an unreliable pri-mary braking system. Thecompany’s spring-applied railclamps offer guaranteed hold-ing capacities and are designedto be fail safe regardless ofweather conditions. The powerunit which hydraulically re-leases the brakes can either beremotely located or mountedintegrally.

Clamps which bite intoboth sides of the rail are saidto provide the most economi-cal solution for a variety ofapplications. The company canoffer rail clamps designed forholding capacities between100 and 1000kN rated at 0.45coefficient of friction. Dicksonsays that selection of a brakewith sufficient capacity andensuring that the rail is in “asnew” condition are prerequi-sites for safe operation.

Safety proceduresThese basic requirements needto be supplemented by propersafety procedures and an ad-equate maintenance schedule.Regular visual inspection ofthe state of the rail clamp is re-quired and without careful at-tention to shoe wear or as aresult of poor adjustment, un-expected brake failure can oc-cur with catastrophic conse-quences during strong winds orstorms.

Hillmar offers a range ofstandard features on its seriesof rail clamps, including a pat-ented wedge mechanism forspring force transfer to the sideof the rail, profiled for evenforce distribution.

Hillmar reports that itswheel brakes are also gainingpopularity both with cranemanufacturers and end users.These are fail safe devices

(spring applied, hydraulicallyreleased) which grip the sidesof crane idler wheels by meansof sintered metal brake pads.Thanks to their novel designthey can be employed in con-junction with existing motorbrakes for dynamic braking inorder to bring a heavy crane toa complete standstill.

Winning solutionIt is common for manufactur-ers to design a crane with everydriven gantry wheel suppliedwith thruster disc brake as amotor brake and every idlerwheel with wheel brake as astorm brake. This combinationallows for every wheel to beblocked during storm condi-tions and according to Hillmaroffers a winning solution formany ship-to-shore handlingmachines, providing safe staticbraking and additional capac-ity for emergency dynamicbraking.

Hillmar is a leading pro-ducer of wheel brakes for newand retrofit cranes and reportsthat just in the South Koreanport of Pusan it has suppliedmore than 100 of these devicesfor both ship-to-shore and rail-mounted gantry cranes.

Italian industrial brakemanufacturer RIMA has justinstalled four self-blocking railclamps, each of 100t capacity,on a large shipyard goliathcrane which was involved inan accident due to storm-forcewinds earlier this year. The550t crane has a span of 112mand an under-hook height of60m. As part of the sameproject 16 wheel brakes of8000N capacity are currentlyundergoing tests prior to instal-lation.

RIMA has also just sup-plied a series of clamps withintegral stowage pins for in-stallation on a Techint continu-ous ship unloader at the coalterminal in the Port of Savona.

Torque transferAccording to MartinRambusch, managing directorof Denmark’s SvendborgBrakes, storm brakes representa niche market for his com-pany, but a very importantniche all the same. This spe-cific application is said to beideally suited to Svendborg’sSOBO (Soft Braking Option)braking control system owingto the complex requirements ofstorm braking.

The company states that themajor challenge of storm brak-ing is applying sufficient brak-ing to various points of a struc-ture which experience widelydiffering loads – and which areconstantly variable. For exam-

ple, a ship loader is a very tallstructure, vulnerable to highwinds and standing on fourlegs. Each of these legs will besubjected to different load fac-tors during a storm.

The company’s marketingmanager Yvonne Küttemannpoints out that the art of apply-ing storm braking is to avoidtransferring too much torqueup into the structure.Svendborg Brakes’ SOBO iswell suited for this as it is ableintelligently to apply just theright amount of braking forcewhere and when it is neededin a group of brakes.

Special projectSvendborg’s industrial brakingdivision has recently been con-tracted by a major Germancrane builder to develop brak-ing systems as part of a spe-cial project for wheels of verytall ship loaders. The initialfeasibility study is already un-der way and the objective is toreduce torque transferredthrough the legs by applyingcontrolled braking.

Additionally with cranegantries, which are subject toa completely different set offorces, Svendborg has recentlyencountered considerable suc-cess fitting active braking sys-tems to gantry-mounted trol-leys. The company is able todraw on a wealth of experiencegained from shipyard crane in-stallations all over the worldand is actively working on thedevelopment of braking appli-cations for ultra-heavy liftingstructures in response to recentgrowth in this market.

ConveyorsMine and overland belt con-veyors of ever increasinglength and complexity, often insome of the most hostile envi-ronments in the world, are alsoa major application area forSvendborg Brakes. The com-pany has experienced a dou-bling in demand for this typeof braking system in recentyears. Again, this is an idealapplication for controlled brak-ing and where the SOBO sys-tem is claimed to score best.

Rambusch suggests thathuge financial savings can beachieved by installing tailor-made braking systems whichare designed to bring convey-ors to a controlled stop in theevent of an emergency, and tocontrol overshooting, beltstrain, start-up time, coordi-nated stop/start of multi-beltsystems, etc.

Svendborg reports that theSOBO system is under con-stant development, keeping itin the forefront of braking

BMI_pp01_20 8/9/07 09:09


Brakes

technology. Recent developmentshave included conversion to digitalPLC technology, introduction of re-mote control/monitoring and signifi-cant upgrades to ‘power failure safe’operation.

Stop and holdTwiflex of the UK, with expertise inthe field of industrial disc brake tech-nology, in the past installed a regen-erative braking system on Venezue-la’s longest belt conveyor which iscapable of feeding 1.6MW of freeelectric power to the mains. The Ca-ble Belt conveyor supplied bySvedala transfers 1600t/h of bauxitedown a mountainside at a constant 18degree incline.

Normally the disc brakes are onlyused during the final stages of brak-ing when they are applied to lock theconveyor in its parked position, butin the event of power failure and noregenerative braking they are requiredto stop and hold a fully loaded belt.

In order to achieve this the discbrakes are not only fitted to the firstmotion shaft of the Cable Belt 63:1ratio gearbox, but are also mounteddirectly on the faces of two 4m di-ameter Koepe wheels which drive the50mm diameter cables supporting thebelt. In this application, as well asbeing fail safe, both sets of brakes canindependently stop and hold a fullyloaded belt. Two Twiflex GMRSHcallipers are employed on each of the1250kW drive motor shafts, whilefour VMS type brakes act directly onthe faces of the Koepe wheels.

Air gap adjustmentPintsch Bamag of Germany recentlyintroduced its patented BCU 2001brake control unit. This records char-acteristic current and voltage varia-tions, which are induced by move-ments of the armature disc in themagnetic field of the brake coil. Itevaluates the signal levels in terms ofthe control state (applied or released)and the maximum air gap (maximumwear). It thereby fulfils the functionof a microswitch or proximity switchand consequently there is no longer aneed for brake sensors and relatedwiring to a control cabinet.

The purchase cost of the BCU2001 is said to be less than equippinga brake with two switches and further-more the enhanced level of precisionmonitoring means that brake mainte-nance is significantly reduced.

The company explains that spring-loaded brakes are used on travelling,trolley and hoisting applications. Inthe age of three-phase AC drive tech-nology where maintenance-freesquirrel-cage motors are speed con-trolled and fed by frequency convert-ers, the correct function of stop/safetybrakes is vital.

During normal operation, they ful-fil their function as a brake when thedrive is switched off. This leads to avery small amount of wear on the fric-tion lining but if there is a fault withthe converter it is essential that therotation can be safely reduced fromhigh speed to eventual standstill. Inthese circumstances, wear on the fric-tion lining is correspondingly high.

Wolfgang Pietsch of PintschBamag emphasises that stress andwear are therefore two separate enti-ties that differ greatly. Wear ischecked by measuring the air gap,which continually increases accord-ing to the usage of the brake.

Prior to the availability of the BCU

2001, the traditional method of meas-uring the air gap was by manual in-spection or by using microswitches/proximity switches. Apart from be-ing time-consuming, manual meas-urement is sometimes incapable ofdetecting changes because of its im-precision.

Inspection schedule There is also the question of how

frequently the process is carried out.In cases where a friction lining suf-fers a high level of wear due to emer-gency stoppage but is not inspectedimmediately, this can lead to unnec-essary and costly damage to the brake.

High downtime costs are also as-

sociated with the unplanned stoppageof the installation. Microswitches andproximity switches, although reliablein themselves, are subject to their owninspection schedules and also havethe drawback of requiring a consid-erable amount of wiring.

In addition to brake control unitsand switching rectifiers, PintschBamag makes a broad range of brakesdesigned to ensure efficient and safeharbour crane operation. �

This Techint continuous unloader

at Italy’s Savona coal terminal has

been fitted with RIMA rail clamps

BCU 2001 brake control unit fromPintsch Bamag, some 40 of which

have recently been installed on

ship-to-shore cranes in the Port ofAntwerp

Our drive is your performance.

Tough demands have met their match.

With a drive system from Hägglunds, you getcompact, durable power - without foundationsor gearbox. The variable speed hydraulic drivecan start and stop without any limitations and itcan start up the feeder in any load conditions.Let us know your demands.

Hägglunds Drives AB, SE-890 42 Mellansel, Sweden Tel: +46 (0)660 870 00, www.hagglunds.comE-mail Business Area Manager: [email protected]

BMI_pp01_20 30/8/07 2:09 pm


Conveying

Belt design central to conveyor performance

A conveyor system is acomplex sum of anumber of parts,

which must all work in unisonto provide peak performancewith long term reliability.

When the number and dif-ferent types of components arefactored in, such as rollers,idlers, the actual belt, drivingand tensioning systems, brak-ing, and ancillary features suchas belt cleaning, maintenancebecomes a crucial factor to en-sure reliability.

While breakdowns may betolerated if an alternative rout-ing path can be selected, inmany cases a conveyor break-down will isolate specificplant, such as a stacker/reclaimer or wagon loadingtower, potentially shuttingdown large areas of a termi-nal’s operation.

Linked processesThe complexity of modernconveying systems can be seenby the contract recentlyawarded to ThyssenKruppFördertechnik (TKF) byThyssenKrupp Steel to supplythe technology and systems fora new steel plant to be built inthe Bay of Sepetiba near Riode Janeiro, Brazil.

ThyssenKrupp CSACompanhia Siderúrgica isbuilding a €3B integrated met-allurgical plant comprising twoblast furnaces, an oxygen steelmill, two continuous casting

While a conveyor system comprises a complex range of components, it is thebelt design which ultimately dictates its core performance and reliability

plants, a coking plant, a powerplant, and a dedicated port fa-cility.

Designed for an annual ca-pacity of 5 mt of slabs, theplant is scheduled to come onstream at the start of 2009. Thecontract comprises the engi-neering, delivery and installa-tion of the jetty conveyors andall other 37 conveyors totalling21km in length, plus the asso-ciated transfer towers, the fivebucket-wheel stackers/reclaimers as well as the entireelectrical engineering includ-ing commissioning.

Alongside the lead Brazil-ian company ThyssenKruppFördertechnik Latino Ameri-cana, others sharing in the

project are ThyssenKruppFördertechnik, St. Ingbert,Germany, plus ThyssenKruppRobins, Denver, USA.

Concurrent usageCoking coal, iron ore, coal,coke, pellets and additives willbe conveyed to the storageyards and then reclaimed andconveyed onward to the blastfurnaces. The raw material willbe moved along nine differentroutes many of which will beused concurrently.

The raw material storagesite, including the conveyorsfrom the jetty of the company’sown port, covers an area of750,000m. The ship offloadingstation is connected to the

shoreside by two 6 km convey-ors mounted on the T-headjetty.The conveyor belts andtransfer towers weighing a to-tal 16,000 t, will be built inBrazil for shipment and assem-bly as work progresses.

The five large stacker/reclaimer machines for thestorage area are being built inChina and fitted with mechani-cal and electrical componentssourced from Europe, USA,and Brazil.

Belt upWhile conveyor mechanicalcomponents, such as rollersand idlers, have measurablewear rates and can be replacedunder a planned maintenancescheme during routine shut-down or even sometimes re-placed under light load condi-

tions when the conveyor isoperating, the actual belt is cru-cial to reliability. Even a smalltear in a highly stressed beltwill soon lengthen and requirea shutdown to cut out the dam-aged area and splice or me-chanically fasten a new sec-tion.

As such, there has beenconsiderable research into im-proving belt materials, particu-larly as speeds, loadings anddistances increase.

“Conveyor belt technologystarted off with the conversionof transmission belts for use asconveyor belts,” says salesmanager Bernd Küsel, Techni-cal Sales director of Phoenixwhich has been manufacturingconveyor belts since 1904.

Great breakthroughThe first belts were used forshort distances of just a fewmeters as the tension memberconsisted of viscose and cot-ton. The natural fibre tensionmembers were initially re-placed with stronger and moredurable synthetic fibres such aspolyamide and polyester.These no longer absorbedmoisture and were thus muchmore resistant to rotting. Thegreatest breakthrough, how-ever, was still to come.

“With the introduction ofthe steel cord conveyor, it be-came possible to cover kilome-tre-long stretches,” says Küsel.

But a steel cord conveyorbelt is also susceptible to dam-age if there is only rubber be-tween the cables. Steel cord

belts often run under ex-tremely harsh conditions. If aforeign object penetrates thebelt and becomes wedged inthe conveyor, kilometre-longslits in the belt can result. Toreduce the risk, Phoenix de-signed the Phoenotec protec-tion system, which differen-tiates the Phoenocord con-structions from all other com-mercial designs.

This system consists ofhighly elastic lateral cordsthat are vulcanized in to coverrubber at right angles to thetensile cords. These cords tri-ple the resistance to damagefrom impacts and slitting.Inaddition, the cords have beengiven an anti-corrosive zinccoating. “But the develop-ment of core rubber, whichnot only fully coats the cablesbut also fills them entirely,was even more important,”notes Küsel. “With this pro-tection, it is common for beltsto last longer than 20 years.”

Long runThe longest conveyor belt op-erating at the moment with-out booster drives measuresmore than 17 km in length.This Phoenocord belt trans-ports limestone through aswampy region from India toBangladesh.

Ever greater conveyingdistances require that thickercords be used, arranged evermore densely. Back in 1970,the strongest steel-cord con-veyor belt was a St 4000(breaking load 4000 N/mm

Roller and idler change-out,whether planned or emer-gency, is an on-going chorein conveyor operations andto reduce this workload, aninnovative new range of BeltLifters from Horizon Con-veyor Equipment has beendeveloped to reduce criticaldowntime during break-downs and routine mainte-nance.

The effectiveness of Ho-rizon’s Belt Lifter has al-ready been proved at Asso-ciated British Ports (ABP)new HIT2 coal import facil-ity at Immingham, wherethere are 17 conveyors inoperation ranging from 40m,which are hopper feederbelts, to 1560m, which arefield belts.

The belt widths vary be-tween 1800mm to 2200mmand transfer various gradesof coal from the ship, to thestockyard and then on to therail load-out facility. Thenumber of rollers fitted tothese conveyors is in excessof 30,000.

Alan Bowler, managingdirector of Horizon Con-

Roll out changesveyor Equipment, says thatwith the hydraulic andmanual systems already be-ing used on sites, the BeltLifter has overcome many ofthe conventional difficultiesof changing conveyor rollers.

Alan said: “The criteria weused for design is simple; ithas to be strong, lightweight,portable and compact enoughto fit into tight spaces.

“After we had designedthe hydraulic Belt Lifter forlarge capacity conveyors likethose belts used at HIT2 werecognised the need to designa manual version for smallerbelt widths ranging from600mm to 1800mm.

“The manual lifter can beoperated independently fromboth sides, if you have walk-ways on both sides of the con-veyor, or the unit can be con-nected so that you can safely

operate from one side of thewalkway only.”

Steve Smith, senior en-gineering planner said: “Wenow have a dedicated pieceof equipment to carry outour roller replacementwithout the need to carrynumerous items of differentlifting tackle and allows usto standardise our methodof work procedures.

“Unplanned downtimeis a major concern to ouroperations department asships demurrage costs havegone through the roof, so itis vital we can react quicklywhen a roller collapses orseizes up.

“The Belt Lifter allowsus to hydraulically lift thebelt in a safe and speedymanner without the needfor cranes and lifting tackle.It works well for both topand bottom return rollersand multiple roller changesare attainable in one lift.”

Roller change-out is anecessary evil which must

be accomplished with as

little downtime as possibleto minimise disruption to the

plant’s operation

Manufacturers have undertaken considerable research into improving belt materials, as

longer conveying runs require high strength belting

21055 Gorla Minore (Italy)Phone +39 0331 36.51.35Fax +39 0331 36.52.15

Via Colombo, 144www.sig.it

E-Mail: [email protected]

ISO 9001:2000

CONVEYOR BELTSSTEEL CORD & TEXTILES

1.G

.02

BMI_pp01_20 8/9/07 09:10


Conveying

belt width). The record is currentlyheld by a Phoenocord St 7800.

“We are already at work on realis-ing steel cord conveyor belts in theSt 9000 to St 10000 range,” reportsKüsel. “This ongoing developmenthas made it possible to make othersystems such as trucks and trains ob-solete in many areas of mining.”

The continuous mining systemwith bucket wheel excavators andkilometre-long belt conveyor devel-oped in Germany, gave the companya particular advantage in the globalmarket. “The world’s first standardsfor steel cord conveyor belts also ap-peared in Germany,” says Küsel.

Carcass strengthIn many respects the carcass is themost important part of a conveyor beltsince it provides the tensile strengthnecessary to move the loaded belt andabsorb the impact of material fallingon to it. It also provides the bulk andlateral stiffness required for load sup-port and the strength required for boltand/or fastener holding.

The Fenaplast design, developedby Fenner Dunlop, comprises a com-plex solid-woven carcass utilisingwarp yarns interlocked and tied intoone single mass by means of auniquely-designed binder warp sys-tem. Nylon or polyester load bearingwarp yarns and nylon or nylon/cot-ton weft yarns are employed withvarious combinations of these syn-thetic and natural fibres. This ensuresthat the requirements for impact re-sistance, belt elongation, flexibilityfor troughing and wrapping roundsmall diameter pulleys, load supportand fastener retention are met.

Where there is a specific need, cot-ton pile warp yarns may be includedto further improve impact resistance.Additional edge reinforcement is in-cluded where required.The solid-wo-ven fabric is impregnated with PVCto complete the finished carcass whilea patented impregnation systemrenders the carcass impervious to at-tack from moisture, dirt, chemicals,bacteria and oils.

Cover upFollowing the impregnation process,PVC covers are applied to the top(carrying) and bottom (drive) surfacesof the belt to protect the carcass andextend service life. PVC covers canbe formulated to meet any worldwidefire resistance specification and tooffer resistance to other hazards, suchas oils and chemicals. Special com-pounds can also be used to give im-proved abrasion resistance or a highercoefficient of friction.

For use above and below groundand where a higher coefficient of fric-tion is required, rubber covers are vul-canised to the parent belt with rubbercovers recommended for short cen-tre, high trip rate, high tonnage instal-lations such as coal preparationplants, coke works and for hard rockconveying applications.

Tailor-made, low stretch Fenaplastbelting is also suitable for a varietyof specialist applications, includingbucket elevators and similar installa-tions where take-up is limited.

For fire-resistance and anti-staticrequirements, the group’s FenaplastFR belting is designed primarily foruse underground and in other poten-tially hazardous situations. PVC com-pounds, with cover thicknesses of upto 4mm, can be varied to suit any spe-cific application.

The PVC covers give excellentcleaning properties and, together withthe advantages of a solid wovencarcass, provide a belt ideal forconveying coal, potash, phosphate,fertiliser, salt, gypsum and clay,

timber and applications where moist,sticky materials are handled.

Fired upWhere a high level of fire resistanceis required together with special coverproperties more readily achievablewith synthetic rubber compounds,Fenner Dunlop has developed theFenaplast FRSR with the addition ofsingle or double rubber covers of upto 6mm thick. Increased belt life,steep gradient and high trip rate con-veying are the main advantages of thistype of belting. It is generally usedon high tonnage drift and trunk con-veyors as well as in power stationsand coal preparation plants.

Where there is no requirement forfire resistance, Fenaplast SR is of-fered as a rubber-covered belt for con-veying abrasive or difficult minerals.A durable rubber cover, compoundedfor maximum abrasion resistance upto 6mm thick, combined with ourPVC impregnated solid woven car-cass has proven ideally suited to highimpact installations such as the con-veying of aggregates and similar hard,sharp materials. �

While it is possible to weave a

conveyor belt in one continuousrun, transport logistics dictate that

it must be cut into manageable

sections

• Main products: ship unloaders, ship loaders, Stacker reclaimers.• Customers worldwide, including: United States, Japan, Brazil, Indonesia and

domestic users from North to South China.• For various industries e.g. Ports, Power Plants, Steel Plants, Paper manufacturing, Concrete

Producers.• Fully-erect shipment to ensure on time delivery.• Proven design, manufacturing and transportation capabilities.

PROVIDES YOU WITH HIGH-QUALITYBULK MATERIALS HANDLING

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BMI_pp01_20 30/8/07 2:09 pm


Cement

Concrete evidence of progressB

eumer of Beckum,Germany, recentlywon an order to sup-

ply the world’s tallest beltbucket elevator to India’sAmbuja Cement, part of theSwiss Holcim Group. With acapacity of 650t/h the eleva-tor will have a centre to cen-tre distance of 158m and willbe installed at the new 8500t/day capacity cement plantcurrently under constructionat Bhatapara.

Here the preheater will befed with raw meal by the newelevator which at 1250mmwide is also claimed to set anew world record in terms oflateral dimensions. Workingin close association with itslocal subsidiary Mumbai-based Beumer TechnologyIndia Pvt Ltd, the Germanmanufacturer is scheduled todeliver the machine in early2008.

Handling and storage plant employed by the cement industry needsnot only to be sufficiently robust to cope with the abrasive nature ofthe end product as well as associated raw materials and by-products,but also to meet customers’ expectations for enhanced energy effi-ciency and reduced maintenance requirements. We report on recenttechnical developments and several current projects

Although this is believedto be the largest belt bucketelevator ever built, Beumer isconfident that by applying thesame technology it will in fu-ture be able to build eventaller and higher-capacityunits.

Meanwhile following amajor order won last Septem-ber from India’s Grasim Ce-ment, Beumer is currentlysupplying a total of 47 bucketelevators for installation inthree new cement plants eachwith a design capacity of3.5mt/yr. The order comprises

high-capacity belt bucket el-evators and central chainbucket elevators of varioussizes and capacities, includingsix units which rate among theworld’s tallest with centre dis-tances of 145.65m. With abucket width of 1000mmthese machines, fitted withhigh-strength steel cord beltshaving cable-free zones, willbe capable of handling about550t/h of raw meal.

Better by air?In the field of pneumatic con-veying, Air-Tec System, the

leading Italian supplier ofpneumatic conveying tech-nology, reports that it recentlydelivered six transporters forhandling cement as part of theKarun IV dam constructionproject in Iran. Cement istransferred over a distance of90m and each transporter pro-vides a flow rate of 40t/h.

Dynamic Air of St. Paul,MN, has recently developedan innovative system calledthe Dense Phase Full LineConcept which is well suitedfor the needs of the cementindustry. When combined

with the company’s new DC-5 Air Saver technology, pro-viding a means by whichcompressed air is automati-cally injected along the con-veying pipe in small amountsin response to the conditionsinside the conveying pipe, itreduces air consumption to anabsolute minimum.

Dramatic savingTraditionally cement has beenhandled by medium-phasepneumatic conveying systemssuch as impeller screw pumps.These systems, however, areplagued with problems suchas high maintenance and highair consumption. The impellerscrew pump requires two mo-tors to deliver cement: thescrew drive motor and the aircompressor motor.

For example, in the case ofa 100t/h capacity pipeline of200m length, the screw drivemotor requires about 93kWand the air compressor motorabout 186kW. It can thereforebe seen that the screw motorconsumes one third of the sys-tem’s total power, or 50% ofthe power of the air compres-sor.

Consequently if a pneu-matic conveying system canbe employed that eliminatesthe screw motor, the result isa dramatic saving in power

consumption. The latest Dy-namic Air developmentachieves this objective.

Similarly Clyde MaterialsHandling of the UK has re-cently developed solutionsthat utilise ultra-dense-phasepneumatic conveying tech-nologies to move material inan energy-efficient mannerover long distances at tonnagerates typically over 150t/h andwithin a single pipeline. Thesesystems are self-optimising,which means that the convey-ing air is only used when a fullbatch of material is ready tobe transferred.

Within the past 18 monthsClyde has commissioned sev-eral materials handling sys-tems for the cement industry,ranging from full turn-keyprojects to specific items ofequipment and control instru-mentation. All these systemsare said to be easily extend-able and have the versatilityto transport a range of materi-als with differing physicalcharacteristics.

For example, a major ce-ment plant in the Ukraine isemploying Clyde’s densephase technology to transportOPC from mills to silos at arate of 150t/h over a distanceof 350m. The order was se-cured against a competitivebid from a screw pump manu-

Air-Tec System pneumatic conveying transporters at the

construction site of the Karun IV dam in Iran

Temcor 78m diameter aluminium dome for limestone storage

at the new GCC cement plant in Pueblo, Colorado

THE TEMCOR

ALUMINUM DOME

An Economical

Maintenance-Free

Bulk Storage Solution

Temcor all-aluminum domes offer the best value

for your bulk storage needs. With over 6,000

dome installations worldwide, in a variety of

applications, the Temcor Aluminum Dome has

proven its value over and over again. Because of

its lightweight prefabricated design, you can

expect lower foundation and erection costs. A

typical 100-meter dome has been built by 12 men

in just 13 weeks. Its all-aluminum construction

means a virtually maintenance-free installation.

Aluminum will not rust, rot, spall or solar degrade,

and is corrosion-resistant to a variety of vapors

and materials.

With sizes available up to 320 meters in diameter,

we can design to meet your exact functional and

dimensional needs. The dome’s versatile design

easily accommodates conveyors, truck doors, etc.

Our installations range from Antarctica to the

Mojave Desert. Call or write and we’ll be glad to

provide the solution you need for your project.

The clear-spanconstruction advantage

P.O. Box 48008

Gardena, CA 90248 USA

Tel (310) Fax (310)

Web site: www.temcor.com Typical dome construction using Temcor’s

erection tower method

3 of 10 120m coal storage domes,

Formosa Plastics, Mai Liao, Taiwan

Interior of limestone storage dome

102 meter diameter aluminum dome,

Caleveras Cement, Monolith, California

THE TEMCOR

ALUMINUM DOME

An Economical

Maintenance-Free

Bulk Storage Solution

Temcor all-aluminum domes offer the best value

for your bulk storage needs. With over 6,000

dome installations worldwide, in a variety of

applications, the Temcor Aluminum Dome has

proven its value over and over again. Because of

its lightweight prefabricated design, you can

expect lower foundation and erection costs. A

typical 100-meter dome has been built by 12 men

in just 13 weeks. Its all-aluminum construction

means a virtually maintenance-free installation.

Aluminum will not rust, rot, spall or solar degrade,

and is corrosion-resistant to a variety of vapors

and materials.

With sizes available up to 320 meters in diameter,

we can design to meet your exact functional and

dimensional needs. The dome’s versatile design

easily accommodates conveyors, truck doors, etc.

Our installations range from Antarctica to the

Mojave Desert. Call or write and we’ll be glad to

provide the solution you need for your project.

The clear-spanconstruction advantage

P.O. Box 150 W. Walnut St.

Tel (310) 523-2322Fax (310) 523-2380E-Mail: [email protected]

Temcore Dec ad New Address.indd 1 14/12/06 16:20:22

BMI_pp01_20 4/9/07 12:40 am


Cement

facturer, based on Clyde’s ability todemonstrate low energy consump-tion (less than 50% compared to thecompetition), low maintenance andsystem simplicity.

Repeat orders for three furthersystems are currently being manu-factured for the same customer forinstallation at Russian cement plants.Similar OPC conveying systemshave also been brought on stream atseveral UK plants as well as those inItaly and Slovakia.

A cement plant in Poland has in-stalled a Clyde dense phase convey-ing system to transfer PFA from a siloto a hopper above a mill at a rate of100t/h over a distance of 150m.Clyde’s dense phase systems havealso been selected for blending plantswhere three materials have beenblended and transported within theprocess centre of a leading UK ce-ment producer. Originally, bucketelevators and airslides had been rec-ommended for this application butwould have occupied too large afootprint within the existing site.Clyde provided a compact solutionthat could transport the material over50m at 75t/h, which optimised bothair usage and compressor size.

Ingenious featureOne manufacturer which has suc-cessfully combined its expertise inpneumatic conveying withintermodal tank containers is InBulkTechnologies of the UK. This hasresulted in ISO-Veyor, a mode oftransport which has proved popularfor cement, fly ash, ferrous sulphateand related products. Indeed, thedense phase pneumatic transfer tech-nology incorporated in the ISO-Veyor was initially developed byClyde Materials Handling.

The ISO-Veyor tank containerconsists of a cylindrical vessel con-structed within the frame dimensionsof a 20ft or 30ft ISO unit. It can betransported exactly as a standard ISOcontainer, utilising currently avail-able trailer chassis and railcar roll-ing stock. It can be filled at sourceand remain sealed until the point ofdelivery, thereby removing the needfor intermediate handling or storageof the contents.

An ingenious feature is that theISO-Veyor’s fluidisation membraneis designed to follow the curvatureof the tank barrel, avoiding the needfor space-consuming cones, thus al-lowing superior payloads and dis-charge performance in terms of bothtime and the small quantity of re-sidual cargo. With the simple addi-tion of an air supply (and without tip-ping) the ISO-Veyor discharges itscontents in less than 30 minutes.Recent customers have includedCemex, Lafarge UK and LafargeNorth America.

Domes to the foreWhen it comes to storage of cementraw materials, domes are increas-ingly being preferred to traditional

vertical silos. They are quicker toconstruct, can provide a dustfree,weather-protection cover for stock-piling and blending operations andallow easy access for belt conveyorsand trucks.

Temcor of Gardena, CA, is theworld’s foremost manufacturer ofaluminium storage domes. It recentlycompleted construction of a 78m di-ameter structure for limestone stor-age at the new GCC cement plant inPueblo, CO. The dome stands 24mhigh at its centre and has been fittedwith a conveyor opening, eight sky-lights, a gravity vent, two galvanisedsteel roll-up doors and a galvanisedman door. Despite a series of unex-

Giant Beumer belt bucket elevatorrecently installed at an Indian

cement plant

ISO-Veyor tank containers fromInBulk Technologies are

increasingly used for transporting

cement

pected blizzards, construction wascompleted in just 13 weeks using onaverage a crew of no more than sixmen.

Other Temcor aluminium domescurrently under construction for ce-ment industry applications includea 93m diameter structure for lime-stone storage ordered by Italcementifor its Essroc Cement Corp. plantin Martinsburg, WV; a 105m diam-eter limestone storage dome for thePlatin works of Irish Cement atDrogheda near Dublin; an 88m di-ameter limestone dome being builtat Festus, MO, for Buzzi Unicem;and two domes of 114 and 90m di-ameter for storage of limestone and

coal respectively, at Holcim USA’snew St. Genevieve plant inBloomsdale, MO.

The company is currently mak-ing final preparations for construc-tion of a 90.5m diameter clinkerstorage dome for installation at Riv-erside Cement’s Oro Grande, CA,plant. This structure will incorporatean Aumund clinker reclaim systemcalled the Mole, which allows formaximum use of the storage capac-ity because the reclaim Mole is com-pletely buried. �

WORLDWIDE

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If your company is seeking a platform for promotion in this region, contact us now for information aboutexhibiting and sponsorship opportunities:

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AMERICAS

The Shipping, Ports andTerminals Event for the

Americas

BMI_pp01_20 4/9/07 12:41 am

BMI Dateline 200020

News

Russian authorities are planning toconstruct the nation’s second largestBlack Sea port on the Taman penin-sula, the Caucasus’s westernmostpoint. Novorossiysk is Russia’s larg-est port.

The new harbour will be built by2012 and have an overall capacity of35 mtpa, handling coal, grain, fertilis-ers and containers at its terminals.

According to the Sea Port of Tamandirector general Pyotr Parinov, the portwill be constructed on reclaimed landin the Strait of Kerch, connecting theBlack Sea with the Sea of Azov, andwill be able to accommodate 100,000dwt ships.

Overall investment in the projectis estimated at US$1B, with half ofthe sum to be funded from the Rus-sian Economic Development Minis-try’s Investment Fund. The project hasalready been endorsed by the RussianCabinet’s inter-department commis-sion and the relevant committee of theState Douma.

“Upon the break-up of the USSR,the majority of the former SovietBlack Sea ports found themselveswithin the independent states ofUkraine and Georgia. Those retainedby Russia [several minor ports and themega-harbour at Novorossiysk] arenot capable of handling the ever-grow-ing freight flows,” said State Doumachairman Boris Gryzlov.

According to Gryzlov, all the coun-try’s ports handled a total of 420 mtlast year. Although this was an in-crease of 20 mt on 2005, the deficit ofdomestic handling capacities is stillconsiderable.

The Russian federal government’sclose attention to the Taman peninsulaport development project is not sur-prising, taking into account its plansto build phase two of the Volga-DonNavigation Canal (VDNC), whichwill end up in the Black Sea nearTaman and is aimed at increasingcargo traffic between the Caspian andBlack Sea by up to 30 mtpa.

Russian president Vladimir Putinhas called on the government to setup an international consortium for theconstruction of the Volga-Don’s sec-ond string of sluices. According toPutin, “The new trunk route wouldhelp not only significantly improve theexisting navigation between the Cas-pian and Black Sea, but also radicallychange the geopolitical location of theCaspian states, having provided themwith an outlet to the Black Sea andthus the Mediterranean.”

VDNC has a length of 101 km andwas built from 1949-1952 to create asingle water-transport system linkingall the seas of the European part of theformer USSR. Last year VDNC han-dled a total of 13.4mt against a de-signed capacity of 11mt per naviga-tion period (eight months).

Coeclerici Coal & Fuels, aCoeclerici Group affiliate, has ac-quired a 60% stake in RAG TradingAsia Pacific from the giant Germanpower group RAG Beteiligungs-Group. The remaining 40% is di-vided between RAG Trading Essen(25%) and the management of RAGTrading Asia Pacific (15%).

The Singapore-based companyhas been renamed CC Carbon andassumes responsibility for thegroup’s raw materials trading activi-ties in the Asia Pacific region. It has

also assumed control of RAG Trad-ing Americas, based in Pittsburgh(Pa), which has been renamed CCCarbon US.

The deal strengthens Coeclerici’sposition in the steel producer mar-kets for coking coals, anthracite andiron ore markets as well as energycoals used in power generation andcement production in Asia, NorthAmerica and Australia. Australia andthe USA are respectively the secondand third biggest coal producers af-ter China, where Coeclerici already

has a local presence. It also has af-filiate companies in India (Mumbai)and Indonesia (Jakarta).

Coeclerici Coal & Fuels tradedaround 4.5 mt of coal in 2006, mainlymined in the Americas, South Africaand Russia. Last year RAG TradingAsia Pacific had a turnover ofUS$100M, generated mainly fromenergy coal, coke and anthracite.

New BlackSea port

Coeclerici joins RAG trade

Coeclerici says that the acquisition

is part of its stategy to consolidate

its markets and products

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