First Contract for Subcon in Africa

Subcon Europe was contracted recently by Subtech Group to design and fabricate 1680m² of CoastMatt™ for the scour protection of Terminal de Carvão da Matola in Mozambique.

The dry bulk terminal has an annual export of 7.5mil tonne of coal and magnetite and the scour protection was a part of the current upgrading of the terminal to accept delivery of super panamax vessels.

The use of already proven formwork and breakout tool design allowed for fast track fabrication to assist with the Client’s limited schedule. The steel work was fabricated in Cape Town and then trucked to Mozambique, said Subcon in the release.

Once on site, Project Engineer Jack Francis oversaw the production and installation of the CoastMatts™. Working in conjunction with the Subtech site team and local labour services, production rates were up to 100m2/day, added the company.

In order to avoid demurrage charges of a full terminal shutdown, the CoastMatt™ was designed to be single edge lifted to allow for installation on the quayside during vessel loading times. Pig tail anchors pre-installed by divers allowed the CoastMatts™ to be secured at the base of the quay wall, then laid down of a 60° gradient to the dredged berth pocket.

This method of installation allowed for the CoastMatt™ to be installed perpendicular to the quay wall while allowing divers to keep a safe distance from the load before disconnecting.