Openpit mining and underground solutions provider Tenova Takraf will receive final acceptance for a 10 000 t/h shiploader and the associated conveying system in the Port of Nouadhibou, Mauritania, this month, as part of a contract awarded by Mauritania-based iron-ore export company Société Nationale Industrielle et Minière (SNIM).

The contract for the shiploader and the associated conveying system forms part of an expansion project to the existing iron-ore stocking and loading facility at the port. It covers the design, supply, transport and on-site installation of a travelling, luffing and shuttling shiploader, as well as a complete conveyor system.

The conveyor system includes transfer towers, a sampling tower, belt scales, dust-suppression solutions and metal-detection and extraction systems. Tenova Takraf was also contracted to modify the existing conveyor system.

Tenova Takraf Africa sales GM Philip le Roux notes that transporting the shiploader was particularly challenging, owing to the remote location of Mauritania and the unit having been fully erected before it was transported to site from Portugal using a special cargo vessel.

Further, the potential risk of dust, owing to fine ore material being handled and the strong winds endemic in that region, required Tenova Takraf to pay special attention to dust control delivery of the shiploader. The dust-suppression systems have subsequently proved highly effective since installation, says Le Roux.

“As a group, we provide a full turnkey solution for our customers. Part of our solution is taking full responsibility for the project, from initiation to final handover. Where we have specialised actions that need to take place on site, such as transporting certain equipment, we will team up with global leaders or logistics companies that function as subsuppliers, taking charge of that specific portion of the project,” he explains.

The shiploader, which was supplied by Tenova Takraf Italy, was custom-designed to meet SNIM’s requirements. A crucial requirement of the conveyor system component, which was supplied by Tenova Takraf Germany, was modifying the existing conveyor system during operation with the aim to minimise operational shutdowns of the system and to avoid any disruption in shiploading capacity.

Le Roux says that Tenova Takraf can offer a one-stop service approach because of its global expertise and being part of an integrated group.

“You will find, for example, that bidding for a materials handling project in Africa could involve several of our business units. For example, Tenova Takraf Africa will be responsible for designing, procuring, fabricating and installing the conveyor systems; our office in Germany will be responsible for the stacker reclaimers; and the project manager, who will either come from Africa or Germany, will integrate everything to provide the customer with a one-stop approach,” he points out.

Tenova Takraf Africa
Le Roux notes that the iron-ore sector is an important part of Tenova Takraf Africa’s business, as iron-ore is a bulk materials handling commodity, which speaks to the company’s value offering.

“We have an office in the Northern Cape that focuses on customer support services for our iron-ore customers in the province. This office assesses customers’ equipment and assists with shutdowns and maintenance,” he explains.

Meanwhile, the company’s Johannesburg office focuses on providing clients with technical solutions, which include investigating methods to improve mines’ throughputs and efficiencies.

“Part of our global in-house technology offering is train-loading systems. In the iron-ore market, we have installed train-loading equipment at ferrochrome producer Assmang’s Khumani iron-ore mine, in the Northern Cape. We have also installed train loading equipment at Assmang’s Beeshoek mine, which also uses our spreader system for the mine’s tailings dams,” highlights Le Roux.

He notes that, currently, a significant focus area for Tenova Takraf is providing junior iron-ore miners with assessment studies that focus on transportation methods. “There is a big drive in the Northern Cape to get some type of consortium together to establish an independent iron-ore loading facility for junior miners. Many of them sell their iron-ore through the big role-players, such us Kumba Iron Ore’s Kolomela mine and Assmang’s Khumani mine, using the latter’s loading facilities to get their iron-ore to market.”

However, Le Roux emphasises that the dipping iron-ore price has resulted in iron-ore miners limiting capital spend until the iron-ore price increases.

“A lot of the junior miners are struggling because of the low iron-ore price, as their profit margins are smaller than those of the majors, who can increase volumes to recover from the drop in price,” he concludes.