Grab unloader sales dry up

Orders for grab ship-unloaders (GSUs) have all but stalled in recent years. The gradual demise of bulk ship-unloading by grab has been predicted for a few decades. Reasons put forward include its relative inefficiency and environmental unacceptability, compared with continuous ship-unloaders (CSUs), whether mechanical or pneumatic.

However, a simpler explanation might be found in the lack of new large bulk terminals being established in the past four or five years. 

Offloading high-density bulk goods at high throughputs is the classic domain of GSUs. The majority of applications call for gantry type cranes, essentially the same superstructure as ship-to-shore container cranes. ThyssenKrupp, 
for example, has gantry grab unloaders in operation worldwide, with throughputs as high as 5,100 tph for ores and 4,200 tph for coal, with grab payloads of up to 85t. 

End of boom 

But with the passing of the commodities super-cycle, few brand new terminals to handle these cargoes, either for loading or unloading, are in demand. Big exporters like Australia, Brazil and South Africa have largely built the terminals they need, and among importing countries, China mostly drove new equipment orders. But that expansion period has also tapered off. 

Moreover, GSUs, like much heavy-duty bulk handling machinery, are built to last. While orders for new cranes in existing terminals occasionally crop up, they are often to replace units that have been in place since the 1980s or even the 1970s. 

And unlike container cranes, the commercial pressure to replace machinery to meet the rapid growth in vessel size is not the same. While bulk vessels have got bigger for particular trades, most existing bulk handling terminals will likely continue to serve the ship classes for which they were designed. 

One supplier that is seeing new business is China’s Genma. It recently delivered a 1,000 tph GSU to Cigading Port in Indonesia. 

Cigading is owned by Krakatau  Steel Group, and is one of the country’s smaller industrial ports. The equipment will be used to unload gypsum and cement clinker. Genma says that, in the tender process, important considerations  included the environmental impact, the lightweight design, and the protection of the cargo to be handled. 

There are currently six ship-unloaders in Cigading, four of which have a capacity of 700 tph, and two rated at 1,500 tph. In addition, there is a 30t multipurpose crane, two 20t level luffing cranes, and two 750 tph portal harbour cranes in operation.