ESSB Phase II 2.7 MT Project is another new benchmark established by the Capital Engineering & Research Incorporation Limited ("CERI") in general contracting projects for overseas steel bases.

All imported raw materials and fuels such as iron ore powder, lump ore, pellets and coal, with an annual total amount of about 6.6 million tons, are transported by sea, due to the special geographical location and basic conditions of ESSB. Kemaman Port, an excellent all-weather deep-water port in Malaysia, is about 7 km away from ESSB. There are two berths at the port, one for 70,000 DWT ships and one for 150,000 DWT ships. 1# unloading berth with a capacity of 150,000 tonnages at Kemaman Wharf is occupied for receiving and unloading to meet the normal production needs of ESSB. The starting point of the wharf material incoming system for the stockyard is the collecting belt conveyor below the port wharf unloader. The materials will be conveyed, through the ordinary belt conveyor and pipe belt conveyor, to the 1# and 2# Type B closed stockyard of the ESSB for storage, fulfilling blending and the supplying for processes before iron making. 

Ship unloader and ordinary belt conveyor at the starting point for the wharf material incoming system in ESSB Phase II Project 

Serving as the throat of the Project implementation, the wharf material incoming system in the stockyard project connects the social logistics of the port area and the operational logistics of the production area. Especially, to meet the need to transport more raw materials and fuels for the construction in the ESSB Phase II Project, for the transportation of incoming material in the Phase II Project, the vehicle turnover mode is replaced by mechanical transfer over a long distance from the wharf to the plant area. Whether such replacement can launch the operation and reach design capacity smoothly is a key determining whether the whole Phase II Project can be successful. For the design capability of the wharf material incoming system in the ESSB Phase II Project, two ordinary belt conveyors, with a total length of 425 m, are arranged for receiving and unloading wharf incoming materials, and three pipe belt conveyors, with a total length of 7.832 km, total power of 6,230 kW and a total lifting height of 24 m, are provided for long-distance environment-friendly transfer. Either ordinary belt conveyor has a belt width of 1,400 mm, a belt speed of 2.5 m/s, and a capacity of 3,000 t/h. Each pipe belt conveyor has a pipe diameter of 450 mm, a belt speed of 4.0 m/s, and a capacity of 3,000 t/h. To ensure the safe and reliable long-term operation of the pipe belt conveyor, multi-motor driving and frequency conversion control are adopted under elaborate organization and design for the Project. Additionally, the hydraulic tension device is combined with the hydraulic winch tension device to fulfill tension; an automatic steering drum is provided at the conveyor tail; an intelligent patrol robot is arranged for each pipe belt conveyor, provided with stainless steel patrol tracks, and is designed to be integrated into the pipe belt conveyor control; polished wear-resistant surfacing lining plates are provided in both the head hopper and unloading chute of the pipe belt conveyor. 

Long-distance Pipe Belt Conveyor for Wharf Material Incoming System in ESSB Phase II Project 

In May 2024, ESSB directly transported 230,000 tons of raw materials and fuels to the stockyard through the wharf unloader, ordinary belt conveyor and pipe belt conveyor, meeting the design capacity requirements for the wharf material incoming system (i.e. an hourly transportation capacity of 600 tons of coke, 1,000 tons of PCI coal and 3,000 tons of iron ore powder) in the technical agreement of the contract. Compared with conventional vehicle transportation, the adoption of belt conveyors for mechanical transportation with a large transport volume is more efficient and more environmentally friendly. Using belt conveyors can effectively cut the costs in short-distance transfer of logistics and port logistics, and can triple the transfer capacity in port logistics, significantly enhancing the transfer efficiency at the berths in the Kemaman Port. On the basis of the design that has been optimized further and details that have been improved in recent months, rapping devices are added in the key unloading outlets and hoppers; unpowered rolling brush cleaners are installed at important heads to prevent undesired material-carrying of the belt; more chutes and receiving hoppers are installed to avoid material spilling. These measures have effectively prevented the system's speed reduction and shutdown caused by material plugging, cleaning the material-carrying belt, etc. The stably smooth operation of the wharf material incoming system, which has been repeatedly verified in production and equipment since the design capacity of the Project was reached, ensures the normal production of the ESSB Phase II Project, and fulfills the all-around efficient improvement of the logistics at the Kemaman Port, laying sound foundation for the construction of the ESSB Phase III Project.