Coal exports via Rosterminalugol terminal up 37% to 24.8 mln t this year (photo)
Rosterminalugol JSC, the largest dedicated coal port in the Baltic region, part of Russia’s largest coal port holding Port Management Company LLC, says it has exported 24.8 mln t of coal this year (+37% versus 18.1 mln t handled in 2016). This result provided as of 28 December 2017 takes into consideration the forecast for the rest of the year.
In 2017, the terminal handled more than 340 vessels (+20% vs 283 vessels in 2016) and 343,000 rolling stock units (+36% vs 252,340 railcars in 2016).
On 24 June 2017, the coal port handled its largest bulk carrier ever – Navios Pollux (Capesize, DWT – 180,000 tonnes, LOA - 282 m, Beam – 45 m). The shipload exceeded 128,000 t of coal one third of which was loaded directly without involving the storage facilities.
Average shipload has increased by 14% to 72,500 t (vs 63,800 t in 2016). The loading speed has increased by more than 100 t per hour with average loading time reduced by 3% to 32.6 hours (vs 33.6 hours in 2016). One hour of loading time saved at the terminal lets it additionally load up to 1 mln t per year.
Yevgeny Korban, Managing Director of the terminal, the method of coal loading directly from rail cars which became possible with two transfer stations launched in 2017 allows for considerable speed up of the process.
Experts attribute the growth of throughput to a higher level of digitization, regular modernization of equipment and improvement of personnel management.
Rosterminalugol JSC (port Ust-Luga, Leningrad Region) is the largest dedicated coal terminal in the North-West region of Russia. The terminal built with the application of the innovative technologies is intended to supply Russian coal produced in Kuzbass and other coal fields to the customers in Europe, Africa, Middle East and Latin America. The terminal was founded in 1996 under the programme on establishment of a commercial seaport in Ust-Luga. Phase II of the port – automated transshipment facility – was put into operation in 2006 in the presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin. In 2016, Rosterminalugol entered the holding run by Port Management Company LLC.
In 2016, coal throughput of Rosterminalugol grew by 3.4%, year-on-year, to a record high of 18.1 million tonnes (over 60% of coal exports through the ports of Russia’s Baltic Basin). In 2016, Port Management Company LLC launched the project the terminal expansion and modernization. In the recent five years the terminal exported 80 million tonnes of coal, which is an absolute record among the ports of Russia’s North-West region. On 24 June 2017, the coal port handled its largest bulk carrier ever – Navios Pollux (Capesize, DWT – 180,000 tonnes, LOA - 282 m, Beam – 45 m).
The coal port three-phased development and expansion project ensures a complete cycle of operations including automatic unloading, treatment and magnetic cleaning, storage and loading onto seagoing ships including Panamax and Capsize bulk cargo carriers, customs and shipping paperwork. Environmental safety at the port is ensured by state-of-the-art dust suppression and storm water control systems. In 2016, Rosterminalugol celebrated its 20th anniversary.
Port Management Company LLC is Russia's major coal port holding that exercises the powers of a single executive body of largest dedicated coal ports based in the Baltic Sea region (Rosterminalugol JSC, Ust-Luga, Leningrad Region) and in the Far East (Vostochny Port JSC, Wrangel Bay, Primorsky Territory).Total coal throughput by the 2016 year-end results of the holding's stevedoring companies reached 41.5 million tonnes, which is more than one third of all seaborne coal exports from Russia. The commodity is exported to more than 30 countries in Europe, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region. By 2019, according to PMC' estimates the total annual coal throughput across marine coal terminals will increase to 56.5 million tonnes.
The PMC LLC was founded in 2008. Since then coal volumes handled at Vostochny Port leaped by more than 60%, and in 2016 totaled 23.5 million tonnes. Between 2010 and 2017, the PMC Holding implemented a program of production optimization, handling equipment modernization and upgrade.
In 2016, another stevedoring company JSC Rosterminalugol became member of the PMC Holding. Following the 2016 year-end results coal volumes at Rosterminalugol terminal reached a record high of 18.1 million tonnes.
Dedicated coal ports of the holding, Vostochny Port and Rosterminalugol, are fitted with the cutting-edge equipment for closed transshipment of coal.
A specific feature of the holding’s activities is the search and introduction of the best technologies available to increase coal transshipment and improve environmental safety. The ports boast the world’s best equipment, unique import substitution technologies and self-engineered products.
