Chinese shipbuilder orders Finnish cargo systems

Shanhaiguan New Shipbuilding Industry in China has placed an order with Cargotec subsidiary, MacGregor, for advanced bulk-handling systems for a pair of 20,000 dwt cement carriers the shipbuilder is currently working on.

The identical sister ships will be equipped with cement self-unloading and loading systems, which combine both mechanical and pneumatic technologies.

According to MacGregor, the systems are capable of a self-unloading rate of up to 1000 tonnes/hour with a pneumatic discharge system or 2x250tonnes/hour if discharging directly to on shore cement trucks. The self-loading rate is up to 1000 t/h for both pneumatic and mechanical loading systems.

Anders Berencsy, Sales Manager, Selfunloading systems, says: “As well as being environmentally-friendly, the MacGregor systems will offer a flexible, reliable and efficient approach to dry bulk transfer. They will give the vessels the ability to use almost any port facility.

“Our continuous loading/unloading systems are designed to provide dust-free bulk cargo transfer, which is a major environmental requirement in almost all locations. Dust emissions are further curbed by a totally-enclosed conveyor system equipped with dust collectors.”

The cement carriers are being built for Singapore based Associated Bulk Carriers (ABC) which is a fully owned subsidiary of dry cargo shipowner Precious Shipping PCL, Thailand.

Berencsy says: “One of the critical factors when handling cement is avoiding water ingress. MacGregor’s totally-enclosed system eliminates the risk of water penetration; it is ideal for the South East Asian climate, subject to the problems associated with monsoon rains and high humidity.”

Equipment for the first vessel is scheduled to be delivered this summer with the second following later in the year. The order also includes an option for a third system.