Boca Grande, Venezuela
Encyclopedia
Boca Grande II is the largest floating iron ore transfer station station in the world and is located in the Serpiente Strait
, Venezuela
. Iron ore is shipped from Puerto Ordaz
, on the Orinoco River by two 90,000 DWT
self discharging shuttle vessels ('Rio Orinoco' and 'Rio Caroni') prior to being received at the transfer station for trans-shipment overseas.
The transfer station itself is a converted 200,000 DWT VLCC (ex 'Berge Brioni') with a storage capacity of approximately 180,000t. Export vessels moor on the port side and are loaded by a travelling, gravity fed conveyor boom with a 36m outreach which eliminates the need for shifting during loading. Approximately 60 vessels are handled annually.
Boca del Serpiente
The Serpent's Mouth is a strait lying between Icacos Point in southwest Trinidad and Tobago and the north coast of Venezuela. It leads from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Paria. It is also known as the Columbus Channel....
, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
. Iron ore is shipped from Puerto Ordaz
Puerto Ordaz
Puerto Ordaz is a planned city which, together with the older settlement of San Felix, forms Ciudad Guayana in Bolívar State, eastern Venezuela. Puerto Ordaz is located at the confluence of the Caroní and Orinoco Rivers and is the site of the Llovizna Falls. There are bridges across the Caroni and...
, on the Orinoco River by two 90,000 DWT
Deadweight tonnage
Deadweight tonnage is a measure of how much weight a ship is carrying or can safely carry. It is the sum of the weights of cargo, fuel, fresh water, ballast water, provisions, passengers, and crew...
self discharging shuttle vessels ('Rio Orinoco' and 'Rio Caroni') prior to being received at the transfer station for trans-shipment overseas.
The transfer station itself is a converted 200,000 DWT VLCC (ex 'Berge Brioni') with a storage capacity of approximately 180,000t. Export vessels moor on the port side and are loaded by a travelling, gravity fed conveyor boom with a 36m outreach which eliminates the need for shifting during loading. Approximately 60 vessels are handled annually.