MechChem Africa November 2017

⎪ Materials handling ⎪

In line with upgrades at MaydonWharf at Durban Harbour, two 850 tph shiploaders were recently refurbished as they were in good overall condition. This was a cost- effective solution, which incorporated new quayside railings into the reconfigured substructure. Bosch projects finished the job in a year, despite numerous challenges. Shiploaders restored and configured on new quay

B osch Projects, part of Bosch Hold- ings, recently completed the up- grade of two shiploaders at the Durban Harbour, that have been used for over 50 years to load sugar onto ves- sels at the South African Sugar Association’s iconic sugar terminal. These two shiploaders, commissioned in 1965 by Moreland Technical & Engineering Consultants – the predecessor of Bosch Holdings – needed to be refurbished in line with Transnet’s upgrade of the berths at MaydonWharf. “Theoriginal 850 tph shiploaderswerede- signed to feed onto 35 000 t Handymax ves- sels, but with upgrades at the port, designed to allow for a deeper draft and the berthing of 80 000 t Panamax vessels, modernisation of thesemachineswas critical if theywere to re- main inoperation,” explainsDaveChappelow, sector director: industrial, Bosch Projects. “Thorough inspections of these robust ship- loaders indicated that despite many years of operation in aggressive seaside conditions, they were in good overall condition, with no excessive corrosion or evidence of fatigue. “The most cost-effective solution was to restore the two existing shiploaders and to incorporate them into a new substructure that could utilise a new cope quayside rail. The reconfigured substructure provides the shiploaders’ existing booms sufficient access and clearance to service Panamax type ves- sels, even at the highest tides. “Bosch Projects, in conjunction with con- tractors, Bayside Engineering, commenced onsite modifications in August 2016 to coin- cide with construction of the quay modifica- tions. In spite of numerous challenges, which included inclement coastal weather condi- tions and hot works restrictions imposed when vessels containing flammable goods were docked at the berth, timeous commis- sioning of the refurbished shiploaders took place a year later.” Each overhauled shiploader had a vertical lift of 1.32mand a horizontal seaward shift of 4.0m. Restoration entailed partial removal of existing legs of the structure, installation of new bogies and an advanced 33 t substruc- ture, with a 14-m wheel-base between the

landside and seaside legs. A rear 4.0mexten- sionallows for anextended feedconveyor and cable reeling drum. This project also involved the replace- ment of two 9.0 t ballast boxes with new 21.4 t ballast boxes, to ensure stability of the machines under all load and wind conditions. Anewmotor control centre (MCC) panel was linked to the existing MCC panel; a new sup- port platform was installed; and the original timber flooring was replaced with a grating and chequer plate structure. Restoration also involved on and off-site conveyor belt splicing, surface preparation and painting of selected existing steelwork, as well as the replacement of the cladding where necessary. These shiploaders were moved by Lovemore Mechanical Projects during the berth upgrade to allow Transnet access for construction. The shiploaders’ 7.0 t chutes and 16 t booms were rigged down using a floating crane, for offloading at the stag-

Bosch Projects, part of Bosch Holdings, recently completed the upgrade of two shiploaders at Durban Harbour. These have been used for over 50 years to load sugar onto vessels at the South African Sugar Association’s iconic sugar terminal. ing area where they were reconditioned. The 112 t main structures, each 20 m high, were moved using a custom-made push and pull system, with the set-up of temporary railway lines. Once the shipbuilders were back in place, four 50 t capacity hydraulic jacks, with a cumulative capacity of 200 t, were used to lift them to install temporary supports to al- low for the building of the new substructure. Hydraulic jacks were used again to remove the supports and install the bogies. Apart from providing specialist services to ports and terminals, Bosch Projects offers solutions to sugar and ethanol engineer- ing, water and waste water, energy and industrial plants, roads, land and building developments. q

Each overhauled shiploader had a vertical lift of 1.32 m and a horizontal seaward shift of 4.0 m.

November 2017 • MechChem Africa ¦ 23