Sixth Siwertell unloader ordered for Mai-Liao power plant

Siwertell, part of Cargotec, has secured a contract to supply a sixth unloader for the Mai-Liao power plant in Taiwan. Five large Siwertell unloaders are currently in operation supplying coal to the 4,200 MW facility, the third largest in the country. Three of the unloaders were delivered in 2001 and two in 2006. This latest order was booked in Cargotec's 2015 third quarter order intake.

Advertisement

"This contract strengthens Siwertell's position as the number one in coal unloading," says Per Karlsson, Managing Director, Siwertell. "Since 2000, the company has sold more than 50 coal unloaders. More than half of these have a rated capacity of 2,000t/h or more."

Siwertell will deliver a ST 940 DOB-type ship unloader on a turn-key basis. Designed to unload coal from vessels of up to 180,000 dwt at a rated capacity of 2,000t/h, it will replace an existing grab crane. It will also be used to unload salt at a rated capacity of 2,200t/h. The operator already has experience of Siwertell's multi-cargo capabilities, as one of its existing unloaders is used to handle both of these commodities.

"Coal and salt can be unloaded with the same high efficiency without the need for any adjustments between cargoes and without any spillage or dust creation," says Mr Karlsson.

The power plant is co-owned by the Mai-Liao Power Corporation (MPC) and Formosa Petrochemical Corporation (FPC). In addition to the five Siwertell unloaders in Taiwan, FPC operates one Siwertell unloader in China and one in the US. It also operates two high capacity unloaders in Vietnam. Mr Karlsson says delivery of these unloaders was a major market breakthrough for Siwertell, because they were the first dedicated coal unloaders provided for a steel production plant, offering massive operational savings for the owners.

The steel structure for the new unloader will be built in China, while other parts will be delivered from Europe. Final assembly will take place on site. Start of operation is expected first quarter of 2017.