P&O Ports impress with new toy

Terry Hutson
AN IMPRESSIVE display of cargo handling took place in Durban last week, when P&O Ports introduced its new design of hopper and successfully discharged a cargo of 21 200 tons of fertiliser from the bulk ship Bellatrix at Maydon Wharf 10.
It took just three days to discharge a total 17 000 tons of fertiliser into road transport waiting below. This is a rate of discharge far quicker than that achieved using conventional hoppers.
The secret behind this successful piece of cargo handling is the introduction of several of the P&O Ports mechanical belt hoppers, which are able to feed waiting road (or rail) trucks below along a conveyor belt built into and attached immediately below the hopper. A sail is suspended below the hopper to catch any small spillages as the grab releases the cargo into the hopper, facilitating clean and efficient handling.
This simple but effective device also enables a vehicle to load next to the hopper instead of below - a useful device especially when using rail wagons and one which has already proved most efficient and quick, with very little or no spillage occurring.