Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) has confirmed that it has procured a R140-million general bulk ship-loader for the Port of Richards Bay.
Engineering company Sandvik managed the procurement of the loader, which was designed in Austria and custom-built in China.
The linear travelling loader had a capacity of 2 500 t/h at a bulk density of 1.9 t/m3 and is said to be suitable for export commodities that make up 70% of the terminal’s total commercial trade, including coal, magnetite, chrome and chloride.
“This arriving ship-loader is a replacement of the less suited, 35-year-old Krupp machine that has now exceeded its design life,” terminal manager Victor Mkhize said in a statement.
He added that the loader boasted improved outreach and a higher draft to accommodate much larger vessels and incorporated a built-in dust collection system and three dust-free loading chutes.
TPT indicated that the addition of equipment, which formed part of the Transnet unit’s R33-billion market demand strategy (MDS) investment programme, would help alleviate existing constraints to growth and improved efficiencies.
“TPT will, in the next seven years, invest in infrastructure, maintenance and expansion, drive growth and increase our footprint in Africa offering improved connectivity to existing and new markets,” TPT CEO Karl Socikwa said.
He added that there were several MDS-related projects under way across all terminals to ensure that equipment woes would no longer hinder operational targets.
As part of the procurment programme Sandvik was overseeing a skills transfer programme through which TPT operators and the technical team would be trained for sustainable operations.
The preassembled loader would be off-loaded and installed upon arrival to undergo commissioning and was scheduled to be fully operational in April.