[BITList] Fwd: [BIship] Pilbara Railways - multiple engines - ports and Wozmax

[Michael Feltham]

Whilst deleting excess Emails from my Inbox, I came across this Email  
from J.P. on 26 June 08.  It's an interesting article but what  
happened later to cause the BI Group to focus entirely on the Coy. ?

Puzzled

Mike
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Begin forwarded message:

From: John Prescott <jprescott at ninetynorth.com>
Date: 26 June 2008 16:18:18 BDT
To: BI post <BIship at yahoogroups.com>
Subject: [BIship] Pilbara Railways - multiple engines - ports and Wozmax
Reply-To: BIship at yahoogroups.com

By coincidence there's a six-page feature article on the Pilbara
railways and transport systems in the latest issue of Rio Tinto
Review (Issue 86 - June 2008).

According to the article, Pilbara trains now have two engines and
haul 25,000 tonnes in 232 trucks. 7,000 trains a year feed the
rapidly expanding terminals at Dampier's Parker Point, East
Intercourse Island and Cape Lambert, from 11 ore mines inland.

Although the largest ore carrier - Bergesen's 362,000 dwt Berge Stahl
- loaded at Dampier in 2006, she was unable to accept a full cargo as
there was insufficient water depth for her 23 metre fully-laden
draft. However, RT's three new vessels, known as Wozmax (West
Australian Max), are being built specifically to maximise liftings at
the draft-restricted terminals, and thus they will have shallower
draft and greater breadth than other Capesize ore carriers. They'll
lift 250,000 tonnes on a draft of 18 metres. RT is using what it
calls a dynamic under-keel clearance system (DUKCS) to load ships at
the terminals to within 100mm [that's not very much in anyone's
language] of the designated safety limit.

Seven thousand trains carrying 25,000 tonnes apiece indicates the
present throughput of the three terminals is 175m tonnes a year,
which is still somewhat below the ports' 195m tonne capacity. Even
so, capacity at the existing terminals is being increased by another
25m tonnes/year and a fourth terminal, also at Cape Lambert, is
planned.

Come the recession, will all the iron and steel be needed? For the
sake of the shipowners and the freight market, I hope so.



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