A 54 t acid cooler, used in the mining indus- try to produce sulphuric acid, was flown out of the Dube TradePort Cargo Terminal, in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), last month, marking a significant milestone as the largest cargo ever processed by the terminal, Dube TradePort Cargo Terminal manager Ricky Isaac says.

The acid cooler is a special replacement com- ponent manufactured in KZN by technology and solutions provider Metso ND Engineering for the Vale nickel mine, in New Caledonia, eastern Australia.

“Using the terminal held many advantages for the exporter, including significant cost savings on road transport to OR Tambo Inter- national Airport because the manufacturer is situated in KZN, the terminal’s excellent secur- ity screening systems and its suitable airport infrastructure to process the equipment,” Dube cargo, development, operations and security senior manager Petko Atanassov tells Mining Weekly.

The freighter that transported the acid cooler was a special Antonov AN-124, the world’s largest serially manufactured cargo airplane and the world’s second-largest operating cargo aircraft, with a payload of 90 t. It was the first of its kind to land at King Shaka International Airport, in Durban.

A special frame had to be built to enable the acid cooler unit to be transported in the aircraft, which could withstand G-forces of up to 2.3 when the plane is in the air and when it lands. The frame was constructed in two days.

Further, specific security screening procedures and specialised measures had to be approved by the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) for the security screening of the cargo, Atanassov says.

“International Civil Aviation Organisation and SACAA requirements were met owing to the excellent cooperation between the South African Police Service, Airports Company South Africa and the Dube TradePort security department,” he adds.

“It is a long and complicated journey to New Caledonia, but we have been fortunate in having access to a world-class airport, such as King Shaka, and the Dube TradePort facilities. As a result, the unit is on its way to the Vale nickel mine and they will soon resume full production,” Metso ND Engineering manager Per Lofstrand says.

“This is a significant achievement for Metso’s Durban business. It shows our clients that we can produce world-class stainless steel and carbon steel processing equipment. It also shows that Durban is more than a seaport – it is now a fully functioning trade port that can ensure rapid turnaround times,” he adds.

“The entire process, including arranging landing permits for the freighter, took less than a week,” he says.

Atanassov adds that the Dube TradePort is developing a specific air cargo strategy to focus on air cargo connectivity to African countries and that Dube TradePort’s aggressive marketing campaign is creating awareness of the capabilities of the Dube Cargo Terminal among exporters with the aim to change the existing freight forwarding patterns.