Rio Tinto has taken a major step forward in its expansion of its
Pilbara operations, with the installation of the new shiploader with a
nominal 55 million tonne annual capacity on the new wharf at Cape
Lambert. The shiploader was swung from the 'BigLift' vessel and placed
directly on to its rails on the wharf, which will eventually extend 1.4
kilometres from shore.
The shiploader was manufactured offshore
and transported to the Pilbara in modular form by the specialist
heavy-lift ship. Rio Tinto Pilbara Projects chief operating officer
Michael Gollschewski said the shiploader was a major component of
infrastructure in the expansion programme and it was exciting to see it
secured in place.
“The last time we received a new shiploader was
in 2007, also at Cape Lambert, on the existing wharf as part of the
capacity expansion to 220 million tonnes a year. This is a powerful
visible reminder that we are progressing rapidly towards the reaching
our interim target of achieving 290 million tonne annual capacity for
the Pilbara operations,” he said.
“The shiploader joins the two
new stackers, two reclaimers and a new car dumper in the newly
constructed stockyard for the Cape Lambert expansion, which means all of
our major coastal infrastructure for the 290 Mt/a project is now safely
on site and in place ensuring a major element of risk has now been
resolved.”
The expansion is progressing rapidly and to schedule,
with a variety of inland mine, rail and support infrastructure projects
also forging ahead. The new Cape Lambert wharf is being constructed in
two stages with the first stage to be completed in the third quarter of
2013, consisting of a two-sided berth that will provide facilities and
loading for two very large ore carriers with the capacity to deliver up
to 250,000 tonnes of iron ore to each.
Source by Commodity Insights
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