A new electric hoist installation at the Humber International Terminal (HIT) 2 is helping Associated British Ports (ABP) make substantial savings each year. The project was undertaken by safety and lifting equipment specialist Cosalt, who worked closely with ABP to find a solution to costly ongoing maintenance issues on all the high-speed terminal conveyors. The conveyors are used to offload solid fuel from bulk container ships destined for power generation plants around the UK.
Prior to the installation, ABP had to hire in mobile cranes when undertaking conveyor belts inspections, maintenance work or repairs. These cranes were proving to be a very expensive and time consuming way to lift the counterweights on the conveyor tensioning units, especially when working around the operation of the terminal.
Cosalt were invited to put forward proposals for permanently installing electric hoists on each conveyor so that the counterweights on the take-up units could be lifted by remote control, without the need to hire cranes and specially trained operatives. Cosalt specified high quality hoists manufactured by Yale that were upgraded with stainless steel brakes for extra durability and reduced maintenance.
The project took almost two years to compete from inception to final commissioning and it has been a resounding success. Savings on crane hire, manpower and most importantly conveyor downtime have already covered the costs of the £95k hoist installation. The counterweights can now be lifted in under two hours.
Said Steve Smith, ABP’s Senior Engineering Planner at the Grimsby & Immingham Humber International Terminal: “The electric hoists are working well and we are benefiting from major savings on crane hire and downtime costs. ABP has a good working relationship with Cosalt and are grateful for the support and technical advice they provided throughout the project.”
Added Cosalt’s Key Accounts Manager Joanne Stamp: “This project illustrates the benefits of our close working relationship with ABP and key suppliers like Yale who manufacture high quality products and provide excellent technical sales support. We were able to plan and co-ordinate the work in partnership with ABP and find a cost-effective solution to their conveyor maintenance issue. We expect this type of arrangement to be incorporated into the design of any new terminals in the future.”
ABP is the UK’s largest ports group. The business operates 21 ports around the country together with other transport related businesses. The Humber International Terminal (HIT) 2 at the Port of Immingham is a dedicated bulk discharging facility with a capacity to handle over 9 million tonnes annually. Built at a cost of £60m, the terminal opened in 2006. The facility has a total berth length of 520m and is equipped with the very latest crane, conveyor and rapid loading equipment.
About Cosalt:
Cosalt is Europe’s leading provider of critical safety equipment for the marine, industrial and offshore markets. It supplies, inspects, tests and maintains marine safety equipment, lifting gear, rope, rigging, fire fighting and height safety products. It is also one of the UK’s leading providers of protective clothing and equipment to the emergency services, military, transport and construction industries. Cosalt has a European-wide business network that spans 25 separate locations. Seventeen of these bases are fully approved liferaft and lifejacket services stations.
