Transnet installs new tippler on iron ore line

Transnet is installing a new tippler on the iron ore export line to maintain throughput of 60 million tons per annum at the Port of Saldanha. A R3-billion mega project that started in April 2016, which is set to be concluded by no later than July next year, includes the construction of new roads, railways, conveyor belts, three bridges and other related infrastructure at South Africa’s main iron ore terminal.

Willie van Dyk, project director of Transnet Capital Projects, told FTW two tipplers were currently operational at the port and the decision to install a third was not to increase capacity but rather maintain current operations. “The new iron ore tippler will replace the older of the existing tipplers,” he said. “This machine has been in operation since 1976 and has reached the end of its design life. The second tippler was purchased ten years ago.”

Transnet was not decommissioning the tippler, but would instead only “mothball” it. “In other words, we will continue to use it when either of the other two tipplers is down or undergoing maintenance, ensuring we are always operating a two-tippler operation.” He said whilst no expansion plans were currently on the cards, it had not been ruled out that this tippler could be refurbished and upgraded at a later stage allowing the terminal to handle up to 90 million tons per annum. With this same expansion strategy in mind, a fourth vault has been built at the current new tippler construction site should the facility require four tipplers to increase capacity further. “This means that should

we opt to expand in the future, it would just be a matter of installing the machine,” said Van Dyk. The Saldanha Iron Ore terminal runs two iron ore tippers around the clock. A total of 2052 wagons carrying iron ore are tipped daily at the terminal which services one vessel a day. Six trains – mainly from the Kumba and Assmang mines

in the Northern Cape – arrive at the terminal daily. “We speak of this as a tippler project but it is in fact much more,” said Van Dyk. “There has been a lot of construction around the terminal and major infrastructure upgrades to incorporate the new tippler, which will be state of the art.”