Modern Mining December 2015

COVER STORY

Makeover for Richards Bay and Market Development for Sandvik Mining, an important factor in awarding the contract to Sandvik Mining was the company’s track record of supplying and supporting similar projects at the Port of Saldanha and elsewhere across the globe. In these instances the com- pany has earned an enviable track record of providing advanced solutions for port materials handling projects and delivering unwavering support throughout the project life-cycle. Sandvik Mining has been awarded a contract to replace the two existing Fives Lille-Gail Applevage shiploaders and two Dravo stacker/reclaimers at the Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBCT). The purchase of a pair of Sandvik PL300 shiploaders, two rocker-type Sandvik PD200 stacker/ reclaimers and a new substation from Sandvik Mining is a bold and timeous move by the terminal operator to ensure its sustainability for the future.

The equipment will be purpose-built, fab- ricated off-site and transported to the coal terminal, where it will be installed and com- missioned in a carefully planned manner in order to minimise disruption to the busy coal handling facility while the upgrades take place. A new substation will also be constructed (and five others reconfigured) in order to provide power requirements to all parts of the terminal, minimising the effect on operations whenever circuits need to be switched off for installation and/or maintenance purposes. Furthermore, Sandvik Mining will be required to meet strict standardisation require- ments set out by RBCT as well as providing

A t present the 2,2 km long termi- nal with six berths is the single largest export coal terminal in the world with a throughput of approximately 91 million tons per annum. In order to achieve these staggering figures, however, the terminal operator relies on close cooperation with equipment suppli- ers to ensure ultimate reliability and availabil- ity of equipment on site on a 24/7 basis.

The Sandvik PL300 is a rail-borne, gantry-mounted, telescopic-boom shiploader with a steep luffing function.

Advanced equipment According to Nico van Aarde, Manager Sales

16  MODERN MINING  December 2015