thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions has started to ship a new materials handling system to one of the world’s most remote locations in northern Canada, above the Arctic Circle.
Baffin Island, the fifth largest island in the world with a surface area of more than half a million square kilometres, is located around 600 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle.
The island contains one of the world’s richest iron ore deposits, with iron contents of more than 65 per cent. Baffinland Iron Ore Mines Corporation operates the Mary River Mine, making it one of the northernmost mines in the world.
Ore is transported from the mine to the Milne Inlet port on the northern coast, around 100 kilometres away by road.
The mine has been producing iron ore for 12 months since 2015. Due to the arctic conditions, the port on the island is only free of ice between July and October.
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Baffinland aims to triple its bulk material handling capacity to 12 million tonnes of iron ore per year with thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions’ new material handling system.
thyssenkrupp will supply a complete system to process, store and transport the ore, which will include converting ore transportation from road to rail. The company will provide a complete railcar unloading station, a crushing and screening plant, a stockpile system with combined stacker/reclaimer, a ship loader and conveyor plant connecting all components.
Because of the logistical difficulties, the plants will be pre-assembled at four locations in Europe, Canada and the Middle East.
thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions Head of Materials Handling, Christof Brewka, said ambitious projects such as this one requires deep understanding of local conditions, collaboration with the client and efficient global project management.
“One of our strengths is that we can bring together our experts at different locations around the world,” Brewka said.
“Teams from Germany, Canada and the USA have pooled their know-how to develop the best solution for Baffinland.
“At the same time, our proven technologies will guarantee the highest productivity even under extreme climatic conditions.”
The first delivery was shipped from Bremerhaven to Canada in July and includes a crusher, screening system and railcar unloading station. The crusher building is 23.5 metres wide, 33 metres high and weighs almost 1470 tonnes. The screen building is 30 metres wide, 34 metres high and weighs almost 1800 tonnes.
The BigLift Barentsz cargo vessel reached the port on Baffin Island with its 5500-tonne freight at the beginning of August, with two more cargo ships scheduled to deliver conveyors during the current shipping season. The remaining units are expected to be delivered in 2020.
The port upgrade is expected to be completed in 2021 and will crush, screen and store the ore produced year-round. The materials handling system will be able to fully load a Capesize ship (which can haul more than 150,000 tonnes) in a single day.