At the Spanish Mediterranean Port Castelló(n), terminal operator Terminal Marítima del Grao (TMG) has acquired a raft of new environmentally friendly equipment for the handling of dry bulk. An eco-friendly hopper and a conveyor belt system have recently been inaugurated at a new warehouse, where they provide a cleaner and safer working environment.
The new hopper has a capacity of 110 cubic meters and is equipped with an advanced truck unloading system that uses hydraulically operated opening and closing nozzles. In addition, it benefits from a lighting system allowing operations in low-visibility conditions, plus a dust particle retention mechanism that minimises dispersion into the environment.
As for the 35-meter-long conveyor belt, it can lift commodities to a maximum height of twelve meters, thereby facilitating faster and cleaner handling of loads.
Both the hopper and conveyor system are self-propelled and mobile.
These new initiatives absorbed investment of €1.2 million, and form part of TMG's long-standing environmental strategy. The company already has in operation semi-enclosed buildings that guarantee zero particulate emissions, built at a cost of €5.5 million.
Future plans include the provision of both a second hopper and a second conveyor belt of the same specifications.