COAL SHIPLOADER FOR SOUTH AFRICA

The 40-year-old Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBCT) is in the midst of a R1.4-billion equipment-replacement project, which remains on time and on budget for completion in January 2018. RBCT engineering and project manager Bill Murphy assures Mining Weekly that the installation of the new equipment will in no way interrupt the operation of the terminal, which will continue to function at full tilt while the new equipment is put in place. He expressed strong confidence in Chinese company TZME, which is nearing the completion, under Sandvik Mining Systems, of a new shiploader, shown above. This year’s RBCT export target is 77-million tonnes, which has been set against the backdrop of the terminal hitting an all-time monthly export record eight-million tonnes in November. In 2015, RBCT exported a record 75.4-million tonnes of coal but fell back to 72.5-million tonnes last year.