Mechel OAO to Build Coal Transshipment Complex at Vanino Port
09/10/2008 - Mechel OAO launches initial project stages for construction of a specialized coal transshipment complex at Vanino Port, Khabarovsk Krai, Russia.
Mechel OAO has launched the initial project stages to construct a specialized coal transshipment complex at Vanino Port, Khabarovsk Krai, Russia.
The complex at Vanino SCTC will establish railways construction, stations for unloading rail cars, a coal storage warehouse, conveyor track system, a two-sided pier and ship-loading machines, a major control unit, and other operational infrastructure. Coal from the port will be exported to countries in the Asia-Pacific Region on marine bulk carriers with a maximum dead weight capacity up to 150 thousand tonnes.
Construction of the new complex is being managed by Mecheltrans OOO, Mechel’s transportation and logistics subsidiary. The project is conducted with the assistance and close cooperation of the Khabarovsk Krai government.
The Vanino SCTC specialized coal transshipment complex is an integral part of Mechel’s efforts to further develop the Neryungrinsky and Elga coal deposits. Its design and construction is being performed concurrently with the company’s Elga field development and Elga-Ulak railway construction. The Elga-Ulak railway, which will have a total length of 315 km, will connect the Elga field with the Baykal-Amur railroad, in keeping with the current Elga project. The railway is scheduled to open for permanent operation by September 2010.
“Construction of the complex at Vanino Port and the implementation of other transportation projects will establish one of the largest transportation hubs in the Far East, supporting the strategic interests of the Russian transportation and commodities markets in the Asia-Pacific Region and significantly contributing to the economic development of the Vanino District and the Far East region,” commented Mechel Management OOO Chief Executive Officer Vladimir Polin.
“Construction of the Vanino SCTC will provide significant tax gains to the Khabarovsk Krai and the Vanino District budgets, create of over 600 new jobs, and develop the social infrastructure of that region,” added Polin. “Within the first stage of the Vanino SCTC construction, Mecheltrans OOO, in collaboration with the Administration of the Vanino District, is currently developing a training program for future specialists and participating as an investor in the construction of two residential blocks in the Vanino urban settlement.”
Ultimately, Vanino SCTC will be operated and maintained by Mechel Vanino OOO. The first stage of the terminal, with a capacity of 15.0 million tonnes, is scheduled to open in 2012, while commissioning of the second stage, which will raise the capacity to 25.0 million tonnes, is scheduled for 2015. The project is estimated at RUR12.0 billion (about USD$500 million).
Mechel, one of the leading Russian mining and metals companies, unites producers of coal, iron ore, nickel, steel, rolled products, and hardware. Its business includes three segments—mining, steel, and power—and its products are marketed domestically and internationally.
