The Bottiglieri Challenger cargo ship will deliver the second batch of coal from South Africa (83,200 tons) to Ukraine during the period of 3-8 November, the press service of the state-owned Ilyichevsk seaport has announced.
The journey from the Port of Richards Bay (South Africa) to the Ukrainian port of Ilyichevsk will take about one month. "Two more vessels are currently on the way and the fourth cargo ship is currently being loaded, according to information from agents," the Ilyichevsk port’s Director Yurii Kruk said during the unloading of the first batch of coal.
A contract for supply of 1 million tons of steam coal from South Africa to Ukraine was signed between the Ukrinterenergo state foreign trade enterprise and Steel Mont Trading Ltd. The coal will be transported by rail from Ilyichevsk to the Tripolye thermoelectric power plant in the Kiev region and the Zmiev thermoelectric power plant in the Kharkov region.
The processing of the coal from South Africa began at the Ilyichevsk seaport on 23 October, when the Scotian Express freighter arrived at the port’s deep-water berth No. 1 with 84,200 tons of cargo on board. The unloading of the vessel will be continued at a dedicated ore terminal when the vessel’s draft is reduced to 11.2 meters. "We plan to dispatch three trains each consisting of 50-60 railcars per day. The handling intensity is at the level of 15,000 tons per day," said Kruk.
Under the contract with Steel Mont Trading Ltd, two out of every three freighters carrying steam coal from South Africa will be processed at the Ilyichevsk port and the others at the Yuzhny port.
