Upgrade to Ore Jetty at Moma Sands in Mozambique
Four years ago a trans-shipment jetty was built on the Mozambique coast to serve the Moma Sands mine, enabling the transfer of titanium ore and other heavy mineral ores to large vessels moored offshore.
The initial fender installation was not up to capacity for normal operations. QuayQuip are replacing the four existing single-cone systems with tougher double-cone systems that absorb quadruple the energy, and adding four more on the opposite side to create a double-sided berth. New Donut fenders guide motorised, self-loading/unloading barges safely around the end of the jetty.
Trans-shipment berths for minerals and bulk goods are increasingly popular as they avoid the expense of building heavy structures in deep water. Moma Sands is one of several such projects in which QuayQuip is taking the design and supply lead. QuayQuip have several other trans-shipment projects under way in Africa and Asia with more expected to follow soon.
The order was taken at the beginning of October 2010 for supply in December 2010. The upgraded systems will enter service in the first quarter of 2011.
The Moma Titanium Minerals mine, on the northern coast of Mozambique, is operated by Kenmare Resources plc. Reserves of heavy minerals including the titanium-bearing minerals ilmenite and rutile, as well as zircon, are raised using dredging technology, concentrated at a separations plant, and loaded onto trans-shipment barges for transfer onto ocean-going vessels. Production is expected to reach 800,000 tonnes per year.
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