AU2011245072C1

AU2011245072C1 - Handling of bulk cargo

Info

Publication number: AU2011245072C1
Application number: AU2011245072A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Stuart Ballantyne
Original assignee: ASD MARINE SERVICES Pty Ltd
Current assignee: ASD MARINE SERVICES Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2010-04-30
Filing date: 2011-04-29
Publication date: 2016-01-07
Anticipated expiration: 2031-04-29
Also published as: CN102869591A; AU2011245072B2; WO2011134016A1; AU2011245072A1

Abstract

The invention provides a system for loading bulk cargo at sea which includes at least one feeder vessel adapted to carry bulk cargo from a source to a transfer vessel with which it can be associated, a transfer vessel which can receive bulk material from at least one feeder vessel and which has means to deliver such material to a bulk carrier.

Description

1 Received 29/02/2012 HANDLING OF BULK CARGO Area of the Invention This invention relates to the handling of bulk cargo, such as iron ore, and in particular, to handling this cargo in areas where the infrastructure does not permit the ship to be loaded 5 to be tied to a wharf or where dredging for access is not permitted. Background to the Invontion This situation of difficulty with cargo handling occurs where infrastructure has not yet been put in place in a particular area. It can also occur where there Is shallow water extending some significant distance out from the shore which may make the cost of providing wharf 10 infrastructure prohibitive and where dredging to open access is not permitted. There have been various proposals for such loading which include the use of a transfer vessel which can be located between a barge into or onto which the ore is loaded, possibly by a shore conveyor which extends outwardly from the shore to the barge itself, or to another transfer vessel from which the ore is passed to the barge, and when loading the is bulk carrier, the barge is provided with a conveyor system which can feed its contents to the transfer vessel which in turn has a conveyor arrangement which extends over the deck of the bulk carrier and above the holds of the carrier. This conveyor system can be controllable to evenly fill the holds and by movement of either the conveyor system, the transfer vessel or both, can obtain access to the various 20 holds of the vessel. This arrangement can operate up to wind loads of approximately 25 knots. But, beyond this, the system cannot be operated. Usually, there's high demurrage for delays in loading and particularly in areas where high winds or seas are prevalent the result can be detrimental to the ship owners. 25 Outline of the Invention A A~ ArTFiT-1'T% Cl IETTV Received 29/02/2012 It is the object of the present invention to provide a loading system which can operate effectively in low seas and low winds, but which can continue to operate when seas become choppy and the winds reach speeds of higher than 25 knots. By providing an arrangement which can operate under these conditions, it is believed that 5 under normal average operating conditions, where loading cannot occur for 60 to 90 days per annum, the saving in costs to the ship owner for demurrage and damage can be up to $600,000 per annum, It is a further object to provide a system whereby bulk cargo can efficiently be provided to a bulk carrier. 10 The invention is a system to load bulk cargo which includes at least on)e feeder vessel adapted to carry bulk cargo from a source to a transfer vessel with which it can be associated, a transfer vessel which can receive bulk material from feeder vessels and which has means to deliver such material to a bulk carrier. It is preferred that this delivery means is conveyor means. 15 Preferably the transfer vessel is capable of receiving and holding a quantity of bulk material received from feeder vessels which material can be delivered to a bulk carrier. The transfer vessel is preferably adapted to feed bulk material either from a feeder vessel or from its own holding of the material to the bulk carrier. The feeder vessel(s) may have means whereby they can be connected directly to.the transfer vessel to minimise delay in 20 mooring these relative to the transfer vessel. The means of connection can include an area at the stern of the transfer vessel which is adapted to receive a feeder vessel therein and for the feeder vessel to be connected to the transfer vessel. In order that the Invention may be more readily understood and put into practice we will 25 describe by way of non limiting example one particular form of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. AmA ThrwM-Pn QIumPr Received 29/02/2012 Brief Description of the Drawing Figures Fig. I Shows the loading system of the invention having a feeder vessel engaged with a transfer vessel which is loading a bulk carrier: Fig. 2 Shows a perspective view of a feeder vessel; s Fig. 3 Shows a feeder vessel engaged with a transfer vessel in an orientation appropriate for moving the transfer vessel; Description of an Embodiment of the invention An embodiment of the invention 10 is shown in Figure 1. The invention 10 provides a vessel 20 which can be considered a floating harbour and io which in this specification will be called a transfer vessel. The transfer vessel 20 may include a storage area 30 for bulk material which, for convenience, will be called ore. The transfer vessel 20 has, at its rear end 25, an arrangement whereby feeder vessels 40 can be received and held relative to the storage (transfer) vessel 20. The transfer vessel 20 has means to recover ore from the feeder 15 vessel 40 and to either load the ore into the transfer vessel's 20 own storage area 30 or feed it directly to a bulk carrier 50, adjacent to which the feeder vessel 40/transfer vessel 20 assembly is located. The arrangement whereby feeder vessels 40 can be received and held by a transfer vessel 20 ( as shown in Figure 1 ) may include an open space between sides 22 having a 20 width slightly greater than the width of the feeder vessel 40 and a length equivalent to the storage area 30 in the transfer vessel 20, such that the feeder vessel 40 can back in to the transfer vessel 20 for unloading either directly to a bulk carrier 50 or into the transfer vessel's 20 storage 30 towards the bow of the transfer vessel 20 A X=XIMTThT 0T-1F T 4 The arrangement is such that the feeder vessel 40 can be backed into the space between the sides 22 which can be open to the sea and can have a bottom closure at a depth greater than that of the loaded feeder vessel 40. Using the arrangement of the invention, the only restriction on the delivery of ore from the 5 feeder vessels 40 to the transfer vessel 20, which can hold, say, 35,000 tonnes of ore, is the capacity of the transfer vessel 20. This enables, when a feeder vessel 40 is in connection with the transfer vessel 20, loading to commence immediately without waiting for feeder vessels 40 to come to the bulk carrier 50. Of course, if the transfer vessel 20 is not carrying ore, a feeder vessel 40 can have its o cargo transferred by way of the transfer vessel 20 to the bulk carrier 50. Thus, the system 10 can provide a much more efficient way of transferring ore to bulk carriers 50 than has previously been the case and can also do this in seas and winds which would normally preclude loading, thus saving or eliminating demurrage as the feeder vessel 40 and the transfer vessel 20 are effectively unitary. 5 The transfer vessel 20, in the embodiment described, has its storage 30 at the forward end thereof which may be an enclosed hold or the like and, as described above, at the rear 25 of the transfer vessel 20, there can be the space or an incursion defined by the two side walls 22 and which may be enclosed at the under surface or could be open to the sea. This space or incursion is of a width and length to receive the body of a feeder vessel 40 20 which can be reversed into the space or incursion and locked relative to the transfer vessel 20, The form of inter-engagement is not critical to the invention but it may be that adjacent the forward end of the transfer vessel 20 which contains the bridge that controls systems, the engines and other facilities and which can be higher than the remainder of the transfer 25 vessel 20 may have inter-engaging members extending each side thereof which can effect locking of the feeder vessel 40 to the transfer vessel 20.

Received 29/02/2012 Preferably there is located along each side of the transfer vessel 20 from adjacent the stern 25 thereof to adjacent the bow, side conveyors 27 which can move the ore forwardly. There may also be provided along the length, a gantry 28 which, in one embodiment, carries a bucket chain elevator which delivers the ore to the required side conveyor 27. 5 In another embodiment of the invention, the gantry 28 can carry a bucket wheel which feeds onto a transverse conveyor which delivers the contents to the side conveyor 27 of the transfer vessel 20. The bucket chain elevator or bucket wheel can be movable transversely along the gantry 28. The gantry 28 can of course be moved forwardly and aft relative to the transfer vessel 10 20, so the ore carried in the feeder vessel 40 can be readily and rapidlytremoved by the bucket wheel to its transverse conveyor to the longitudinal conveyor 27 of the transfer vessel 20. It is also possible to have the bucket chain elevator or bucket wheel arranged on an arm which is associated with one side 22 of the transfer vessel 20 and which can be moved so is that the elevator or bucket wheel can reach basically any part of the transfer vessel 20 and again deliver the ore so gathered to a conveyor which, in turn, delivers the ore to the longitudinal conveyor 27 of the transfer vessel 20. The ore so delivered can have one of two destinations. The first is direct to a bulk ore carrier 50 to which the transfer vessel 20 is connected. 20 In this case, the ore being carried by the conveyor along the side 22 of the transfer vessel 20 passes to another conveyor which runs transverse to the transfer vessel 20 and from this, to a load-out boom which extends outwardly from the transfer vessel 20 to above the hold of the bulk carrier 50 which is to be filled and the ore is passed directly to this hold. Alternatively, if there is no bulk carrier 50 associated with the transfer vessel 20 at the 2s time, the ore is diverted by a transverse conveyor into the storage area of the transfer A AWT7nrlTn CiTFPT Received 29/02/2012 vessel 20 and as mentioned, this, in one particular embodiment, can hold up to 35,000 tonnes of ore As each feeder vessel 40, can carry some 5000 tonnes, this means that up to seven feeder vessel 40 loads can be held in the transfer vessel 20 whilst awaiting a bulk carrier 5 50 and once the carrier 50 is in position delivery can commence immediately without having to wait for feeder vessels 40 to bring ore or without holding a number of feeder vessels 40 waiting for sequential unloading onto the transfer vessel 20. The transfer vessel 20 is normally not powered and could be moved, as Is conventional, by tugs or the like but in the arrangement of the invention, if the transfer vessel 20 is to be 10 moved, a feeder vessel 40 may be moved, bow first, Into the position defined by the rear 25 of the transfer vessel 20 and its forward end can be connected to the transfer vessel 20, preferably by a connection arrangement which enables free movement between the feeder vessel 40 and the transfer vessel 20 in roll, pitch and heave. The feeder vessel 40 can relocate the transfer vessel 20 in this way, thus obviating the 15 necessity of providing tugs to do this. In addition, should it be required, the feeder vessel 40 can simply tow the transfer vessel 20 in a normal way. As the feeder vessel 40 is adapted to carry up to 5000 tonnes of ore, it has sufficient power for this. To reiterate the advantages of the system of the invention 10 over previously proposed systems, the transfer vessel 20, which can be considered to be a floating harbour, can 20 carry in the embodiment described, up to 35,000 tonnes of ore and be ready to deliver these to a bulk carrier 50 with effectively little or no down time from the time that the carrier 50 is associated with the transfer vessel 20. At the same time feeder vessels 40 can interconnect with the transfer vessel 20 thus givIng a stable connection between these and their carried ore, which in the present 25 embodiment would be of the order of 5000 tonnes, and deliver this direct to the bulk carrier 50, if the transfer vessel 20 is depleted of ore, or can deliver it to the transfer vessel 20 A A-PNMnT 4ZT4FPT Received 29/02/2012 which can carry up to 35,000 tonnes of ore ready for immediate loading to a bulk carrier 50, Whilst as an exemplification of the invention 10, we have described the feeder vessels 40 as being able to carry 5000 tonnes of ore and the transfer vessel 20 35,000 tonnes, these s are simply preferments and the quantities could vary depending upon the particular application. For example, if the water level at the rail head or delivery conveyor position is very shallow, It may be desirable to use feeder vessels 40 which carry less than 5000 tones or if the water is relatively deep, it may be that larger feeder vessels 40 would be satisfactory. 10 Also, depending upon the amount of ore to be shipped, it could be desirable that the transfer vessel 20 can hold more than 35,000 tonnes. At the same time, the feeder vessels 40 can be used to move the transfer vessel, if this is required and with an effective free movement coupling of the type mentioned earlier, can do this in relatively heavy seas and strong winds, 15 Because the transfer vessel 20 can carry substantial quantities of ore, this means that the feeder vessels 40 can be used effectively to ferry ore to the transfer vessel 40 even if there is no bulk carrier 50 attached thereto, so Instead of either waiting adjacent the shore or standing off the transfer vessel 20, the feeder vessels 40 may be used most efficiently. At the same time, because there is a minimal delay In transferring ore to a bulk carrier 50 20 and because this transfer can continue under quite adverse weather conditions, the delay in loading the bulk carrier 50 is minimised. Whilst there has been described in the specification a particular arrangement and Interconnection between the feeder vessels 40 and the transfer vessel 20, it is to be understood that substantial variations can be made in this, without departing from the 25 scope of the present invention. Ab1kWXTn1n I4FmPT Received 2WUZ/U/2L In particular, the machinery, or the type of systems to transfer the ore from the feeder vessels 40 to the transfer vessel 20 or direct to -a bulk carrier 50 can vary widely and can in fact mirror handling equipment used in the mining Industry, but which provide the necessary flexibility as far as transferring material is concerned. 5 Any variation in these areas are deemed to be part of the invention. A NAPNMnTn PHT-FFT

Claims

1. A system for loading bulk cargo at sea which includes at least one feeder vessel adapted to carry bulk cargo from a source to a transfer vessel, the transfer vessel able to receive bulk material from the at least one feeder vessel in a storage area and having means to deliver such material to a bulk carrier, wherein: the transfer vessel is capable of receiving and holding a quantity of bulk material received from a plurality of feeder vessels; the at least one feeder vessel is able to be received by the transfer vessel; and the at least one feeder vessel and the transfer vessel are able to be associated by a connection means which enables free movement between the transfer vessel and the feeder vessel

2. A system for loading bulk cargo as claimed in claim 1, wherein the connection means enables free movement between the transfer vessel and the feeder vessel in roll, pitch and heave.

3. A system for loading bulk cargo as claimed in claim I or claim 2, wherein the storage area of the transfer vessel is at a forward end thereof.

4. A system for loading bulk cargo as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the feeder vessel is able to be received and held by the transfer vessel in an open space between sides of the transfer vessel having a length equivalent to the storage area of the transfer vessel.

5. A system for loading bulk cargo as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the transfer vessel is adapted to feed bulk material either from a feeder vessel or from its own holding of the material to the bulk carrier. 10

6. A system for loading bulk cargo as claimed in any one of claims I to 5, in which the transfer of bulk cargo from the feeder vessel to the transfer vessel and to the bulk carrier is able to take place at sea,

7. A system to load bulk cargo as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the connection means which enables free movement comprises inter-engaging members extending each side of the transfer vessel adjacent a forward end of the transfer vessel in the space defined by two side walls of the transfer vessel,

8. A system to load bulk cargo as claimed in claim 7, wherein the connection means includes the space defined by the side walls being an area at the stern of the transfer vessel which is adapted to receive the feeder vessel therein.

9. A system to load bulk cargo as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the feeder vessel is able to be backed into the stern of the transfer vessel for unloading the feeder vessel.

10, A system to load bulk cargo as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the bow of the feeder vessel can enter the stern of the transfer vessel and engage with it in order to move the transfer vessel.

11. A system to load bulk cargo as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the bulk material delivery means includes a bucket chain elevator or bucket wheel able to be arranged on an arm associated with one side of the transfer vessel, the delivery means being adapted to deliver the bulk material to a conveyor.

12. A system to load bulk cargo as claimed in any one of claims to 1 to 11, wherein the delivery means includes a longitudinal conveyor extending along the side of the transfer vessel and another conveyor that runs transverse to the transfer vessel. 11

13. A system to load bulk cargo substantially as described in the body of the specification with reference to and iustrated by any one or more of the accompanying drawings.