Sized Sensitive Loaders.

Designed especially for degradation sensitive cargoes, the system is capable of loading in excess of 16 000 tons per ship per day. The product is transported to the terminal in block trains of up to 65 wagons at a time and these are either dumped into hoppers that fill bottom discharge containers or stacked using luffing conveyors and curved transfer chutes.
These superbly designed containers are transported to the vessel and are lowered into the vessels' hatch whereupon the doors open and the product flows out. This system is suitable for many commodities that require special handling or that cannot be handled on a conveyor.

Rapid Loading.

The conveyor system runs in excess 2 000 tons per hour and at a rate of 40 000 tons per day. It can be fed from the storage area, direct from rail wagons using straddle excavators or either of the two dumpers. Flexibility and versatility enable products to be blended, weighed, dampened or separated en route to the ship loader which is equipped with a "Cleveland Cascade Chute" to gently lower the product into the hatch of the vessel.
The machine effectively trims the hatches and can easily accept panamax size vessels. The conveyor is capable of loading at a rate of 20 000 tons per day.

Grab Discharge.

Two grab unloaders are used to discharge vessels. A double rope system allows a 7m³ grab to cycle in under a minute on the one machine, while the second machine, the container crane, is fitted with a 20 m³ hydraulic grab.

This cargo is then routed directly to rail wagons which can immediately be made up into unit trains or the cargo can be stored and railed out at a suitable time. The grabs are equipped with sealing teeth that prevent spillage of products such as grains or fertilisers. Discharge rates vary per commodity but are in excess of 6000 tons per day on the rope driven machine and 10000 tons per day with the hydraulic grab system.
Containers, break bulk and heavy lifts.

The container crane has the ability to handle 20 and 40-foot containers and break bulk and heavy lifts with different attachments on the head block. The container crane has a SWL of 55 ton under the head block, with an outreach of 26m (approx. 10 containers wide) and lift height is 18m above quay. The cycle time of the machine is between 2 to 3 minutes depending on the nature of the operation. (20 to 30 lifts per hour)

Stack Storage Facilities.

The stacks can accommodate 600 000 tons of pre assembled product at any given time. This can be put to stack as and when the customer rails to the terminal and stacking rates of 20 000 tons per day per commodity are comfortably achieved.
Reclaim rates out of the storage area exceed 1000 tons per hour. The storage area is currently under review and there are plans for further upgrades. Open, concrete lined bins connected to a stacking / reclaim conveyor can be used for parcel preparation for portions of, or entire shipments.

Cargo can be railed to the storage area up to two weeks in advance of the vessel, however specific longer term arrangements may be made for speciality cargoes. Imported products may also make use of the storage area and railed to destination sidings as and when required.

Wagon Handling Equipment.

Bulk Connections shunts all rail wagons on site with their own locomotives. This has proved to be the most efficient manner of ensuring that the correct cargo is moved exactly when required. Five locomotives of varying sizes are operated and maintained by terminal staff to provide this service.