Independent Beira Logistics Terminals & Services (IBLT&S) are building a new 14 000 square-metre facility to keep up with the growing volume of bulk commodities through the Beira Corridor.According to general manager Neil Stals, the company has also invested in specialised equipment and machinery to enable the streamlining of processes within the new facility. “As margins are under pressure, the focus is on efficiencies and how we can be most effective in our service offerings,” he said. Commenting on volume growth, Stals said more and more bulk commodities were coming through Beira.“With the borders to South Africa being under so much pressure, mines are looking at ways to get their product to market quicker. We have seen a steady increase in bulk volumes as the port looks to increase its capacity to meet these r ising volumes.”According to Stals, one of the key opportunities for the Beira Corridor is to simply take advantage of the volumes that would usually go through South Africa. “By providing a quicker route to market, through diverse operations, we would prove our ability to keep these volumes through this region. Technology is another advantageous opportunity where visibility of product has always been somewhat limited,” he said. “It’s exciting times for the whole corridor. Although the pandemic has put a strain on volumes globally, we had a significant increase in volumes through 2020. Cost and route to market lead times have come to play a crucial role in these increases.”The volatile market in commodities was, however, one of the major challenges to overcome and caused somewhat of a disruption. “Mining houses are looking at establishing stockpiles closer to export ports, so that when the price is right, their product is readily available to be containerised and exported.”Just as important for the corridor, said Stals, was the ongoing move to exploration. “There’s some exciting exploration going on in the hinterland. New deposits have been identified, and with some new mines starting to produce already, we should see volumes start in the 2nd and 3rd quarter of this year.”This is good news for the corridor. “There will always be opportunities in the Beira Corridor as there will always be a high demand for minerals out of Africa. We still have rich deposits, and the supply and demand remain in good balance. The life cycle of some mines is coming to an end, but with steady growth and new mines coming into production, the export of minerals remains an opportunity for sustainable growth in the region.”One of the key opportunities for the Beira Corridor is to simply take advantage of the volumes that would usually go through South Africa.– Neil Stals“Hydrogen-powered trucks on the cards by year endAnglo American Platinum hopes to see hydrogen-powered trucks operational by the end of the year.First announced in 2019, the move towards hydrogen mining trucks – or more specifically fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV) – has taken longer than initially anticipated, mostly due to Covid-19-related delays.But, says Natascha Viljoen, CEO of Anglo American Platinum, it has been all systems go in the past few months and first motion is now expected before the end of this year.“We are particularly proud of the development of these trucks, and we hope to have wheels on the ground before the end of the year.”She said hydrogen fuel cell technology had the potential to reinvent transport completely, offering a clean alternative to traditional petrol and diesel engines. “The 290-ton truck we are generating will be filled with green hydrogen. A 75-MW photovoltaic plant will be developed to generate the green hydrogen used in the trucks,” said Viljoen. “These trucks will assist in developing the heavy-duty application, and we need to bring it to market as soon as possible.”The mining haul truck, explained Viljoen, would use a hybrid of fuel cells and lithium-ion batteries, ultimately making it the largest electric vehicle in the world. She said the truck project was part of Anglo American Platinum’s commitment to reduce its global greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2030.It is expected that the first truck will be tested at the platinum group metals mine in Mogalakwena, South Africa before being used in other locations.
