Transhipment

Transhipment

Whyalla is the base for CSL Australia’s iron ore transshipping operation, which is where a barge-based operation is located to export iron ore for OneSteel Whyalla.

Flinders Spencer Gulf Marine Services is involved in this operation as a management role, surveying role and also provide the Loadmaster to oversee the loading of the ore onto the barges at the ore jetty.

The operation consists of a Floating Offshore Transfer Barge (FOTB) Spencer Gulf, and two Self-Unloading Barges (SUB) Barngarla and Middleback. All barges were purpose-built in China, and towed to Whyalla, arriving in early 2007.

As none of the barges having motive power, at the beginning of each transshipment, the Spencer Gulf is towed out with the assistance of three dedicated tugs, and is secured to the cape ship for the duration of the transshipment. Over the course of the transshipment, the tugs shuttle the SUBs between the OneSteel ore jetty which is where the ore is loaded onto the barges and the transshipment point where gulf waters are deep enough to take Capesize export ships, which is approximately 8 nautical miles from Whyalla.

As their designations suggest, the SUBs self-discharge onto the FOTB, which then transfers the ore, via inclined belts and a discharge chute, directly into the export ship’s holds. Typical cape transshipment would consist of approximately 15 barge loads of ore, and there are on average three cape transshipments per month.