FAP Marine Terminal is Pakistan’s first and only state of the art fully automated dry cargo handling terminal. From discharging to dispatching, it has been facilitating clients with one window operation since 2010.
FAP offers a complete handling solution with secured facility that caters all requirements of both importers and exporters.
The terminal discharges cargo through pneumatic and mechanical un-loaders, with a combined capacity of up to 1,600 metric tons per hours. The product is conveyed to either steel silos or flat warehouses for onward automated bagging. FAP also loads conventional dry cargo for export.
The Terminal has a capacity to handle four million tons per annum with transit storage in silos or warehouse within the Terminal perimeter. Operations are automated with computerized management, maintenance, inventory and cargo Dispatch control.
FAP is a Customs declared landing area for handling of import and export cargoes. After completion of regulatory and Customs formalities, gate passes issued at the FAP exit are the final document required for inland movement of handled product.
Discharging from Vessel at FAP
FAP terminal is equipped with 3 un-loading technologies for different commodities depending upon the nature and texture of each. For oilseeds, we use New Invention of Vigan, also known as NIV and Simporter both having a combined discharge rate of 1,600 tons per hour.
NIV is recognized as a more convenient solution for unloading barges compared to grabs and mechanical unloaders. It offers higher unloading rate mainly during cleaning of holds with the intake nozzle being able to suck down to deepest product particles. Its own electrical power generator provides a complete independence in relation with any external power supply.
SIMPORTER, on the hand, is a method of conveying bulk materials in an essentially vertical direction by means of a pair of conveyor belts which holds the material « sandwich fashion » between them. When being elevated and conveyed the material is in contact only with the belts, which are held together by a combination of edge seals and gentle air pressure.
Material is picked up by the feeder and then passes into the elevator leg section of the SIMPORTER. Since the material is stationary relative to the belts there is no degradation of the material as it is conveyed through the SIMPORTER from the hold of the vessel to the quayside.
All movements of the SIMPORTER can be carried out by a single operator only, seated in an enclosed air conditioned cabin located so as to provide a clear view of the ship's hold.
For the discharging of Fertilizers and Meals, Leaked Proof Grabs are used with an average size of 7-8 metric tons each, giving out a daily discharge rate of more than 7,000 metric tons.
Storage Facility in Silos and flat Warehouses
Oilseeds and Wheat are directly discharged and stored in dedicated 6 x steel silos each with a capacity of 9,000 to 12,500 Metric tons depending upon the commodity. Similarly, a flat warehouse is also available with a capacity of 20,000 metric tons for all commodities directly connected to precision/volumetric bagging stations through conveyor belts.
For storage purposes only, two other warehouses are in use with a combined capacity of 38,000 metric tons approximately. These warehouses are used as back-up storage facilitating clients with storage requirements.
Bagging and Dispatching at FAP
Cargo from silos is routed to either two bulk silos for bulk deliveries or to bagging station with six precision bagging points and twelve volumetric bagging points. Also, introduction of multi-route facility has now allowed bagging of two different commodities simultaneously. FAP is capable of dispatching more than 1,000 tons per hour of cargo.
For additional discharging, cargo is released into the flat warehouse with again six precision and three volumetric bagging stations. For faster deliveries, four precision mobile bagging plants and two volumetric bagging plants are available with twelve lines in total for direct discharging and bagging from the vessel and loading onto the trucks.
These bagging plants are designed to operate in the most hostile environment protecting the cargo from all kind of damages.