Riga Universal Terminal, located just outside the beautiful city centre of Riga in Latvia has become the first European terminal to introduce the environmentally friendly Containerised Bulk Handling system; using the RAM Revolver® to export biomass materials.
A few years ago RUT, a multipurpose port which handles containers, breakbulk, timber and various types of bulk materials, expanded its terminals growth and began handling sunflower pellets, wood pellets and wood chips to fuel the demand for renewable energy sources.
Increase in demand for renewable energy sources Since then, RUT have seen an increase in demand for renewable energy sources, and as a result, had to look for more efficient high capacity loading system to continue growth and meet demand.
When considering the different options available, RUT thought about buying a new material handler in the region of 1.3 million Euros, as well as possibly having to sell one of their existing MHC cranes. “This would have meant a huge investment without getting a meaningful profit in return” Ricky Yong CEO of RUT explained.
The RAM Revolver® high loading rates With the support of Liebherr service partner, Alfis Ltd and sales agency Intersafe Marine AB, RAM put forward a recommendation for their containerised bulk handling system, with loading rates of up to 45 tonnes per cycle. The RAM Revolver utilises the existing Liebherr MHC and with skilled operators, RUT projected 30 cycles per hour being achieved.
Material Handler vs RAM Revolver® RUT compared the work of a small handler with that of the RAM Revolver® while loading vessels with wood chips, and found the material handler had a maximum capacity of 200 tons/hour compared to 800 tons/hour on the first usage of the RAM Revolver®.
Click here to read the full article about RUT’s successful biomass operations