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2017 October 9   10:35

Rosterminalugol: digitization of transshipment technologies allows for sustainable build-up of throughput

Rosterminalugol JSC announces the plans to increase its throughput by 30% in 2017 and to enhance its energy efficiency through introduction of advanced IT-solutions.
  
Rosterminalugol, the largest dedicated coal port in the European part of Russia, part of Russia’s largest coal port holding Port Management Company LLC, supported the II International research and practice conference “Development of infrastructure and logistics technologies in transport systems held in Saint-Petersburg on 4-6 October 2017. The conference gathered scientists, industry experts, largest transport companies of Russia and Europe. 

Rosterminalugol, which is going to increase its coal transshipment from 18 mln t to 23.5 mln t this year (by 30%) presented a report on application of digital technologies for coal transshipment. The process of railcar supply/unloading/shipment at the coal terminal is synchronized with the processes at the Luzhskaya station. Coordinated work of Rosterminalugol and Luzhskaya station is performed through interaction of automated control systems of the terminal and the station without paperwork. 

Average unloading is 1,200 railcars per day with Rosterminalugol spending only 1 minute per handling of railcar, which is not possible without digitization. 

The stevedoring company applies e-document management and lean production technologies.

Automation of processes at the port is 98%.

In the 9-month period of 2017, the terminal handled 256,492 open-top railcars (50% — innovative railcars) with 18.4 mln t of coal, which exceeded the result of January-December 2016. 

In 2017, Rosterminalugol inroduced additional methods of environmental safety – installed thermal cameras at the terminal’s storage area, put into operation new water treatment facilities involving a nanoflotaion technology, started using drones for eco-monitoring. 

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.