History is being made. By the time this story is published, a 1,500-tonne, 8,000tph (tonnes per hour) for iron ore, stacker/reclaimer designed and constructed by EMS-Tech Inc. of Belleville, Ontario, Canada, will have been moved by barge from its assembly site in Belledune, New Brunswick to Port Cartier, Quebec, a 600km journey, where it will be landed and transported to the rail system on which it will be commissioned before being turned over to its owner, ArcelorMittal.

The machine, one of the largest of its kind, and certainly the first to be transported by barge in one piece, incorporates fabrications and machinery parts purchased from around the world. The machine was assembled for EMS-Tech Inc. in Belledune by MQM Ltd and Mammoet has been engaged to move the machine in two barge movements to Port Cartier, the first being the tripper/elevating conveyor, followed a week later by the stacker/reclaimer. The process is expected to be complete the first week of June.

In addition to this historic move, and another first for EMS-Tech, and perhaps Canada, a second equally ambitious project is underway at this time on the west coast of Canada wherein EMS-Tech is delivering a second 7,000tph (coal) stacker/reclaimer (Fig 2.), to Neptune Terminals in North Vancouver. In this case the machine will be delivered in large assembled pieces by barge from an assembly site in Sidney on Vancouver Island. Three barge movements will be employed in two runs across the Strait of Georgia to the Neptune Terminal site. This machine, which was assembled for EMS-Tech Inc. by Ramsey Machine Works at their Sidney,Vancouver Island, facility, will be transported across the runway by APEX Industrial Movers on a heavy transporter to waiting barges that will transfer the heavy machine to the mainland where it will be final assembled and commissioned before entering service for Neptune.

Both of these projects above follow on the heels of yet another hugely significant project for EMS-Tech Inc., notably the design and supply of a 4,500tph stacker and 8,000tph reclaimer (Fig. 3) for PT Kaltim Prima Coal (KPC) at their coal terminal located in East Kalimantan, Indonesia.

The machines in question, pictured above, have just completed rigorous commissioning tests and will commence service for KPC shortly. In addition to this work, EMS-Tech has delivered shiploaders that have recently entered service for Compass Minerals and Oxbow Carbon & Minerals Ltd. at their facilities located in Goderich, Ontario and Argentina respectively. EMS-Tech Inc. has also been very active at the Port of Beauport, adjacent to Quebec City, on a series of projects for St. Lawrence Stevedoring. EMS-Tech Inc. has overseen the doubling in length of the out haul conveyor which is also now the primary receiving conveyor, the addition of two new conveyors and associated transfer towers. One tower enables two conveyors to feed onto any one of three outgoing conveyors to various areas of the highly organized terminal. EMS-Tech Inc. also designed and oversaw the installation of four mobile hoppers which will be used to improve ship unloading times and to add stockpile flexibility via the aforementioned transfer tower.

 

Beyond these significant landside projects, EMS-Tech Inc. has been busy on the marine front as well, of which more details can be found on p29 of this issue.