Port mobile plant specialist B&W Mechanical Handling Ltd, based at Ely in the U.K., is celebrating a double success for its unique flexible ship loading solution. One of world’s largest mining operators, Gold Fields Ltd, has, through its subsidiary Gold Fields La Cima S.A., recently commissioned a new ‘narrow quay’ installation to load copper and gold ores from its facility at the Port of Salaverry in Peru using B&W equipment.

B&W enjoys the benefits of being fully integrated into the substantial and respected International Aumund Group with strategically placed offices in more than 10 countries and representatives in more than 40.

At Port of Salaverry the heavy-duty 900 tn/hr unit has an integrated 180-degree slewing Samson feeder enabling it to discharge off either side of the quay. Mounted on a single chassis, the ship loader is equipped with the B&W ‘new generation’ travel system allowing both powered in-line and parallel movement. This high level of mobility makes the unit ideal for operations on narrow quays and finger jetties with widths as small as 15 m. Such situations prove impossible for the more cumbersome traditional fixed or rail-mounted ship loader installations and yet the flexibility offered by B&W does not compromise quality in any way. These rugged machines are built to the highest specifications with a design life of 25 years and a normal duty cycle of 24 hours per day continual use. The installation includes a full dust containment and extraction system.

At Port of Salaverry copper and gold ore, with densities as high as 2900 kg/cu m, is transported to the 25-m-wide by 225-m-long quay area by 30-tn capacity trucks, arriving every 2-3 minutes. The 36-m-long hydraulically adjustable ship loader boom is equipped with a 360-degree rotational trimming chute and loads into 25,000 DWT vessels with a maximum freeboard height of 10.5 m above the quay and a beam width of up to 22.9 m.

Following the success of this contract, and the clear demonstration that mobile ship loading equipment is beneficial for operators wishing to retain full flexibility within their operation, a second South American order has been placed for ship loading from a fixed conveyor delivery point.

This new order is for the Chilean copper mining company Compañía Minera Carmen de Andacollo operating out of the Port of Coquimbo. Designed to load copper concentrate at rates of up to 1000 tn/hr, this system comprises three main equipment types: a 36-m boom rubber tired mobile ship loader; a mobile telescopic link conveyor with radial travel having a closed length of 26 m (extendable to 41 m; and a fixed-length link conveyor 20 m long.

Suited to load a wide variety of products in the tightest of situations, this fully mobile unit is a versatile solution. Changes to port layouts or the differing nature of commodities over time are easily accommodated. Unlike fixed installations, relocation of the unit to another site takes hours instead of weeks.

For more information, visit www.bwmech.co.uk/bw_mechanical/english/.