Stockyard and Port Operation
Cape Preston is where Sino Iron’s magnetite concentrate is exported to its customers in Asia. It’s a shallow port with 12 outer anchorages and five inner anchorages, which means the cargo must be transhipped to Ocean Going Vessels (OGVs) using a combination of methods. The port on a regular basis loads up to 100,000 tonnes per day onto OGVs.
Transhipment and export
Port Preston is the Pilbara’s first greenfield port to be built in more than 40 years - unlike traditional iron ore ports which require deep water channels to accommodate the massive tidal movements of the region, we use a transhipment method. A first in Western Australia, transhipment sees the product first loaded onto barges or a TSV at the loading berth along the breakwater. The barges are then towed offshore where a transhipper reclaims product from the barges and loads product onto larger OGVs. The TSVs are purpose-built, self-propelled vessels which use a gravity reclaiming system and a single point loading system to load the OGVs.
Stacking and logistics
The concentrate is stockpiled using two mobile rail-mounted stackers, each with a capacity of 4,000 tonnes per hour. The stockyard is made up of eight stockpiles with a combined capacity of up to 1.2 million tonnes per year.
The product is then reclaimed with automated rail-mounted reclaimers which are capable of reclaiming concentrate at a rate of 7,000-8,000 tonnes per hour. It’s then transported via a 4.4km conveyor system to the barge loading berth, from which the cargo is loaded onto transhipment shuttle self-unloading vessel (TSV) or barges.
The product is then reclaimed with automated rail-mounted reclaimers which are capable of reclaiming concentrate at a rate of 7,000-8,000 tonnes per hour. It’s then transported via a 4.4km conveyor system to the barge loading berth, from which the cargo is loaded onto transhipment shuttle self-unloading vessel (TSV) or barges.
Facts and figures
- The stockyard is approximately 1.1km long and 250m wide.
- The breakwater itself is 3.1km long.
- Approximately 10,500 Core-Loc units were individually placed around the breakwater, designed to refract the wave energy of a one in 100-year cyclone event.
Careers
Project Milestones
