Ship loader - USA

Siwertell ship loader underpins US pellet exports 

A new deep-water marine terminal in a key Mississippi, USA, port has been developed as a shipment hub for wood pellets manufactured in the Gulf region. Exports are secured by a high-capacity Siwertell ship loader, which meets both efficiency and environmental demands.

Customer need 

A new deep-water marine terminal in a key Mississippi port has been developed through a collaboration with the port authority and a wood pellet manufacturer. It has been designed to receive dry bulk materials by rail, barge, and truck from the pellet producer’s regional manufacturing plants.

As part of the development, the terminal needed high-capacity ship loading equipment that could meet the operator’s long-term export ambitions and strict environmental requirements for dust emissions. 

The facility’s wood pellet storage domes provide high storage capacity. A conveyor system transfers pellets from the domes to the ship loader, which serves vessels up to Panamax-size bound for markets in Europe and Asia. The company specified that any new ship loading system had to be delivered fully assembled to the port.

Our solution

In 2022, Bruks Siwertell commissioned a B1600 type-five Siwertell ship loader for the port. It was fully assembled in Vietnam prior to delivery in 2021 and shipped on a heavy-lift vessel directly to the jetty. Bruks Siwertell also supplied the terminal’s new shore conveying system.

Wood pellets provide a low-carbon alternative to fossil fuels. However, they are fragile and sensitive to material degradation if not handled carefully, impacting their ability to deliver a consistent burn profile in destination boilers. The B1600 type-five ship loader is ideal for sensitive materials that are likely to degrade.

Biomass is also inherently dusty. The ship loader has been specially designed to keep dust generation to a minimum. This is achieved with a Cleveland Cascade chute and dust collectors at all transfer points.  

The ship loader can accommodate vessels around 70,000 dwt, and loads wood pellets at a rate of over 1,000t/h.