Ship unloader - Norway

Efficient, safe unloading in the Arctic Circle 

The Yara fertilizer plant in Glomfjord, within the Arctic Circle, has employed a well-maintained Siwertell unloader, operating at top performance for more than 30 years. When greater capacity was required, once again the company looked to Siwertell unloading technology to meet its needs. 

Challenge

Norway’s leading mineral fertilizer producer, Yara International, operates the world’s northernmost fertilizer plant in Glomfjord. Served by its own harbor, Yara needed to increase capacity and was looking to retire its long-serving Siwertell unit, delivered in the early 1980s. 

The new unloader had to be able to handle demanding dry bulk materials such as various rock phosphates and potash fertilizers. It also needed to meet strict environmental criteria, manage high prevailing winds and operate successfully in the extremely low temperatures of the Arctic Circle.

Compounding the challenge was limited jetty space; any new machine would have to fit into the existing footprint of the older model, while incorporating higher-capacity. It would also have to be lifted into place using a heavy-lift vessel. 

Solution

To ensure that any new unloader would fit the site and meet the installation requirements over the whole travelling length, Bruks Siwertell conducted a 3D scan of the Glomfjord jetty. After confirming that it would be suitable, Yara ordered a rail-mounted Siwertell ST 490-M ship unloader. 

To ensure that Yara’s production schedules were not interrupted, it was agreed that the unloader had to be installed, tested, commissioned and fully operational within a pre-planned maintenance stop of just one week.

Able to serve vessels of up to 20,000 dwt, the unloader is equipped with a dust-suppression system and an advanced electrical control unit, including the Siwertell monitoring system, known as SiMon; a PC-based human machine interface, which offers quick trouble-shooting, easy unloader start-up, an analyzing tool for problem-solving, a preventive maintenance guide and remote access by Bruks Siwertell engineers.

Results 

Yara is very satisfied and impressed that, just 18 months from the order being placed and its delivery in 2019, it had a new machine up and running and meeting the stringent environmental standards of the company and the site, without a single day of delay.  

The new unloader maintains a continuous rated discharge of 600t/h, with a peak capacity of 700t/h, depending on the material being handled. Yara plans to upgrade its belt conveyor system to match the capabilities of its new unloader. 

The delivery continues a long-standing partnership with the company and four follow-up inspection service visits and a comprehensive set of spare parts are also included. 

With capacity to spare, Yara expects to get another three decades from its new Siwertell system.