April 29 - A 54 tonne acid cooler has been flown from the DubeTradeport Cargo Terminal at King Shaka International airport, South Africa to New Caledonia, 1,210 km east of Australia.
Metso ND Engineering manufactured the component in KwaZulu-Natal for customer Vale Nickel's mine. The mine is currently at a standstill and losing USD1 million per day as the original acid cooler is non-operational.
The unit was transported on an Antonov AN-124 freighter. It was the first time that Dube TradePort has welcomed the giant freighter.
Ricky Isaac, manager of Dube Cargo Terminal, commented: "This shipment is a significant milestone for Dube TradePort, as the acid cooler unit is the largest single piece of cargo that we have processed through our cargo terminal".
A special frame had to be constructed to enable the unit to be transported in the AN-124, noted Metso ND Engineering's Per Lofstrand, who added: "It's a long and complicated journey to New Caledonia, but we have been fortunate in having access to a world-class airport such as King Shaka, and the Dube TradePort facilities.
"As a result, the unit is on its way to Vale Nickel and they will soon be able to resume full production."
