Two ports, 250km apart, efficiently served by one unloader

It is not always an obvious leap to assume that, if you have dry bulk material handling operations in ports hundreds of kilometres apart, they could be efficiently served by the same ship unloading system. In fact, the obvious choice is multiple unloading systems. However, imagine the savings, both on an investment and operational level, that replacing this option with one road-mobile unloading system could offer.

Vietnamese Vissai Group has a diverse portfolio of activities including manufacturing and a recently built cement plant. The plant has two different import sites in Vietnam, some 250km apart; the ports of Quy Nhon and Cam Ranh. It needed to source a suitable ship unloading system for each of them and tasked Koastal Industries Pte Ltd with finding a solution.

Capitalizing on market growth

“The cement and manufacturing industries are very competitive in Vietnam and Vissai needed to increase its cement supply capacity quickly to take advantage of market growth,” explains Hanna Fors, Contract Coordinator, Mobile Unloaders, Bruks Siwertell. “Purchasing two ship unloaders, one for each site, would certainly have been a possibility, and it often is, but it doesn’t have to be. 

“We were able to offer an alternative that would ideally suit Vissai’s need for efficiency, flexibility and mobility; a Siwertell 10 000 S road-mobile ship unloader.

“It became a clear advantage over other solutions, because it enabled Vissai to maintain two sites with the same unloader, and save on investment, operational and maintenance costs,” she explains. 

“Vissai built its new cement plant before commissioning any ship unloading system, so any solution not only had to meet its capacity and environmental requirements, but also be able to unload directly onto existing belt conveyors,” Ms Fors notes. 

Operational in under an hour

The diesel-powered unit is fitted with a double-bellows system that can easily accommodate the belt conveyors. It is also totally enclosed and has dust filters to ensure clean, environment-friendly, dust-free unloading. 

At each import facility, the unloader is able to deploy in under an hour, in time to meet the vessel as it enters port. It unloads cement cargoes from vessels between 5,000 and 10,000 dwt at a continuous rate of 300t/h, before dismantling, refuelling, and heading to the next destination. 

In 2017, performance tests at Quy Nhon Port showed that the road-mobile unloader’s capacity exceeded its design specifications of 300t/h, offering instead a rate of 372t/h while unloading standard Portland cement.

“Vissai now operates a compact, mobile unloading system which is easy to operate and maintain because of standardized components, and more than fulfils throughput requirements at each facility,” she concludes.