Saturday 16 February, 2008

Ship’s berth marks Sohar Aluminium milestone

THE late evening of Saturday 9 February 2008 saw a significant milestone achieved for Sohar Aluminium, with the arrival of its first international vessel from the Far East carrying a vital ingredient for the smelter’s operations.

After months of pre-planning and organization, the mv Hawke Arrow berthed at Sohar Port to discharge 4,200 tonnes of liquid pitch into one of Sohar Aluminium’s two 5,000 tonne landside tanks. The pitch will be used in the smelter’s paste plant where it will be combined with petroleum coke to make anodes.

“The successful discharge operation was the result of exemplary cooperation between the SIPC, Bechtel, Solios and Sohar Aluminium personnel,” said Sohar Aluminium’s General Manager – Operations, Mr Michel Huot.

“We also worked closely with Gearbulk, the vessel’s owners, to handle matters such as the compatibility of the vessel’s couplings and pumps with our landside facilities, the clearance of the vessel and crew by immigration and customs and the official documentation pertaining to the commercial transactions.”

The 200-degree celcius liquid pitch was transported inside special heated liquid tanks on board the vessel and the utmost caution was taken during the several-hour unloading process.

“Safety is always our first priority and all staff in the area were required to undergo specific pitch plant safety training as well as our usual rigorous EHS induction,” Mr Huot said. “Staff who were responsible for opening the pumps from vessel wore special heat retardant suits to safeguard against any unlikely spillages.”

Once the smelter begins operations in mid 2008, the liquid pitch will be trucked to the Sohar Aluminium site at the Sohar Industrial Estate by two dedicated road tankers, which will work 24 hours a day, seven days a week delivering a continuous supply of pitch from the port facility.

The mv Hawke Arrow was the first of six shipments of liquid pitch expected to arrive over the coming 12 months.

The next vessel to arrive with the first shipment of another raw material for Sohar Aluminium is expected in late March, when a 10,500 tonne consignment of calcined petroleum coke will be discharged via the vacuum ship unloader and transported by conveyor belt into one of the company’s two 15,000 tonne silos.

The last of the ‘firsts’ will be a 35,000 tonne shipment of alumina from the Alcan Gove facility in Australia, due to berth at Sohar Port in early May.