GENMA commissions floating transhipment system for West Africa mineral exports
The marine material handling provider said the system, tested and ready for deployment, is designed to move ore from barges to large vessels serving shallow-water ports such as Boffa in Guinea.
GENMA said it has completed commissioning of a new floating transhipment system that will be deployed to West Africa to support mineral export operations. The system is designed for shallow-water ports where large ore carriers cannot dock, using barges to move minerals from the pier to deeper water and then transferring cargo to larger vessels offshore. In Boffa, Guinea, the company said a 300,000-ton ore carrier cannot enter port, making offshore transfer equipment important to the export chain. The setup includes two deck cranes, two large hoppers, one belt conveyor and one ship loader. GENMA said the cranes lift ore from barges into the hoppers, which feed the conveyor, while the ship loader transfers cargo into a large vessel's hold. The company highlighted stepless speed control, anti-corrosion protection and equipment designed for movement between floating vessels, as well as service centers and spare-parts warehouses in Tangier, Morocco, and Mombasa, Kenya. A warehouse in Boffa, Guinea, is nearly ready and is due to open mid-year, with long-term field service engineers stationed locally.
- transhipment system: Equipment that transfers cargo between vessels offshore.
- belt conveyor: A moving belt that carries bulk material.
- ship loader: Machine that loads bulk cargo into ships.