In late 2014, MMG issued a tender for the supply of 1,200 specialised containers to move copper from its flagship Las Bambas mine to the Port of Matarani on the west coast of Peru.
Garry Pinder, managing director Intermodal Solutions Group (ISG), said: “We are pleased to announce we have been awarded the MMG tender. ISG has been successful around the world in designing and supplying specialised bulk containers for large blue chip customers in the past and we are excited to now be working with MMG.”
Gustavo Gomez, President of Las Bambas, added: “We were seeking a solution with exceptional transportation safety and environmental care. This was possible through joint work with Australia ISG engineering and Chinese manufacturing company CIMC. The outcome delivered by ISG under this agreement is another step forward in as we move towards first production from this significant asset.”
The logistics problem to be solved by ISG was that the road gross weight limit was exceeded when using 8m long trailers and 12m long wagons loaded two 20’ containers of copper. Loading one 20’ container was unsuitable as it moved less pay load than allowed from the mine site to the rail head. The solution was two 4m containers suitable for tippler discharge and sealed lids.
During mine site loading, the containers’ lids are taken off the containers at the mine site, using the special build mine site lid lifters supplied by ISG and they are loaded using a front-end loader. The lids are replaced by the ISG lid lifters once loaded and the containers are ready for their road trip to the rail siding.
Once the containers arrive at the rail siding, the containers are loaded onto the train. MMG has purchased specialised rail wagons to take the 4m containers to the Port of Matarani. The rail wagons take three 4m containers loaded with copper per wagon to the port for discharge.
When the containers arrive into the port, the specially designed containers are lifted directly from the wagon using a specially made tippler and using the ISG patented lid lifter, they are tipped into a hopper system and transferred to storage shed ready for export on a bulk vessel.
They are then placed back onto the rail wagons and made ready for their trip back to the mine site to start the loop over again.
The containers and mine site lid lifting equipment have been manufactured well ahead of schedule with a significant percentage having already delivered to the Port of Matarani.
