Mr Simeone explained that the use of a transfer station, at anchor off a port, can not only significantly reduce discharge times for bulk carriers by using larger cranes, but also eliminates the problems caused by the size of bulk carriers growing faster than available handling berths.

With bulk carriers moored at one side, and transfer barges at the other, Coeclerici floating transfer stations are already in use in India, Venezuela, Bulgaria, Indonesia and the company’s home country of Italy. Most are based on suitable vessels equipped with storage capacity, cranes, and material transfer systems of hoppers, conveyors and transfer booms.

The Bulk Prosperity is the Indian version, and will come into operation on the country’s west coast later this year. It will have ability to load and discharge vessels – at 30,000 tonnes per day and 20,000 tonnes per day respectively – using 30-tonne cranes with an air draught of 19 metres and an outreach of 38 metres. These operate safely in winds of up to 25 knots and waves of up to 2.5 metres. The facility took 16 months to develop, and it is expected to handle 7m tonnes of various dry bulk cargoes annually.

The company sees such technology as vital to prevention of new bottlenecks, and removal of existing ones, as seaborne coal shipping continues to increase. As such Coeclerici Logistics represents an important part of the Coeclerici Group of companies providing logistics solutions for various infrastructure bottlenecks worldwide.