Ship unloader - Israel

Siwertell unloader offers environment-friendly solution for Ashdod Port

When Ashdod Port Company not only needed to accommodate substantial and growing dry bulk cargo volumes, but also minimize the use of grab cranes to meet the port’s strict environmental requirements, it turned to Siwertell ship unloading technology for handling of sulfur.  

Customer need 

Ashdod is Israel’s largest sea port in terms of cargo volumes and is a major gateway for the State of Israel; its bulk terminal operates 24 hours a day. Ashdod Port Company needed a new solution for handling large and increasing dry bulk import volumes. Increasingly strict environmental regulations at the port means that the use of grab cranes must be minimized. 

The new unloading solution had to be semi-moveable and offer enclosed material handling, delivering continuous rated capacities up to 600t/h from vessels up to 63,000 dwt.

Although a valuable and widely used commodity, sulfur is highly toxic, volatile and corrosive. For these reasons, it is now widely unacceptable for it to be spilled during unloading. However, its containment increases the likelihood of ‘hot spots’ creating the potential to explode and cause fires. Ashdod needed a dry bulk handling system that could safely handle this commodity.

Our solution

Ashdod Port Company Ltd opted for a Siwertell ST 490-M screw-type ship unloader. Delivered in 2021, it now discharges vessels up to 63,000 dwt and ensures totally enclosed, safe, high-capacity through-ship performance. It also fulfils the port’s strict environmental requirements, handling materials without dust or spillage.

Siwertell unloader technology is the only proven solution for safe, enclosed and continuous sulfur unloading. Siwertell sulfur handling ship unloaders have been supplied to the market for over 30 years. All these units are fitted with the Siwertell Sulfur Safety System (4S), which detects and extinguishes fires early, shutting down the system to stop their spread, and safely containing them before they can become a full-blown blaze. To contain explosions, steel casings are reinforced and explosion-venting valves are fitted along the conveyors to relieve pressure.

Ashdod’s semi-stationary ship unloader is mounted on rails and has a double-bellows system for transferring the bulk commodities to open trucks. It was a complex design, and demonstrates that a Siwertell ship unloader can be tailored to suit very different conditions.