• 2017 March 29

    Chaika comes to Taimyr

    Chaika terminal with annual capacity of over 10 mln t of coal is to be built on the Taimyr peninsula. Project investor VostokCoal (VostokUgol Management Company) tells IAA PortNews about the implementation progress.

    From the Arctic with coal

    Implementation of the project on construction of port Chaika commenced in October 2016.

    VostokCoal is building the port for shipment of coal from the fields the company will develop on the Taimyr peninsula. Port Chaika will be the first deepwater coal terminal in the Arctic zone of Russia.

    The facilities will be put into operation phase by phase. In 2017, they will allow for shipment of 2.5-3.5 mln t of coal, in 2018 – 5-7 mln t, in 2019 – over 10 mln t. 

    Total investments into the terminal are to exceed RUB 5 bln. The investors are VostokUgol Management Company (VostokCoal) and Arctic Mining Company (run by VostokCoal).

    The distance from port Chaika to the nearest settlement, Dikson, is 50 km. The port will be built in compliance with the standards of environmental safety.

    General contractor on designing and construction of hydraulic engineering structures of port Chaika is Trest Zapsibgidrostroy. The company says to implement the project of over 10 mln t in capacity it will build a berth of at least 450 metres in length and a complete range of basic coal terminal facilities like storm and industrial water treatment systems, access roads, administrative and amenities buildings, storage facilities etc. The berth is designed to accommodate Arc 4 vessels (ice class of Russian Maritime Register of Shipping) of up to 76,000 t in deadweight. The berthing facilities are supposed to ensure 24-hour operation round-the-year with ice escort services to be provided during the winter navigation period.

    The berth is being built with the application of welded pipe sheet piles (WPSP), a unique technology patented by the company. With WPSP the retaining walls can be built in a short time at very low temperatures. In the future, they will ensure the stability of berthing facilities with specific vertical loads of more than 60 tf / sqm and will also allow for withstanding enormous ice loads, which is important for ensuring the year-round operation of the coal terminal.

    The berth is supposed to accommodate two CH-40 vessels (Handymax bulkers) and CH-70 vessels (Panamax bulkers) for simultaneous loading in winter period amid challenging hydrometeorological conditions.

    The construction project is supposed to make the most use of local materials and stripping soil.

    As of today, a fixed mooring berth with two bollards has been completed, total dockside is 39 m long with a height of a sheetpile wall of 23 m and a depth near the berth of 13.2 m. The face wall is an anchored WPSP wall. The berth has already been put into operation.

    The terminal is intended for the following works and operations: accepting coal from road transport, accumulation of coal at the storage facilities, mooring/unmooring operations, loading of coal onto vessels, shipping paperwork and other operations required for effective and safe operation of the coal terminal.

    To ensure maneuvering of cargo vessels in the water area of the terminal, tugboats will be available at the port.