Mobile Ship Loaders: Replacing Traditional Large-Capacity Bulk Material Handling Equipment at Ports

For a long time, traditional large-capacity bulk material handling equipment relied on by ports (such as fixed ship loaders, combinations of dump trucks + fixed conveyor lines, etc.) have gradually exposed problems such as insufficient flexibility, environmental protection shortcomings, and high comprehensive costs. As a professional global manufacturer of bulk material conveying equipment and EPC general contractor, ZOOMRY has developed its Mobile Ship Loaders with over 20 years of technical accumulation. With core advantages of "flexible adaptation, high efficiency and low consumption, and environmental compliance", it has become the preferred solution to replace traditional equipment, creating a more competitive bulk material handling system for port customers worldwide.

Core Pain Points of Traditional Large-Capacity Bulk Material Handling Equipment at Ports

In long-term use, traditional port bulk material handling equipment can no longer meet the operational needs of modern ports for "multi-berth, multi-material, high environmental protection, and low cost". The main pain points are concentrated in:

1. Severe lack of flexibility: Traditional fixed ship loaders must be fixed at specific berths and cannot perform cross-berth operations. If ports adjust berth layouts or add new material types, the equipment requires re-planned infrastructure, resulting in extremely high initial investment and transformation costs; meanwhile, the combination of dump trucks + fixed conveyor lines is limited by the fixed routes of conveyor lines. When facing complex sites (such as narrow terminals, irregular berths), transfer efficiency drops significantly, or even becomes inadaptable.
2. Prominent bottlenecks in loading/unloading efficiency: Traditional equipment involves multiple material transfer links (e.g., truck unloading → fixed conveyor line → fixed ship loader). Each link is prone to "material interruption" or "congestion", and cannot flexibly adjust loading speed and angle according to ship tonnage (such as barges, Panamax ships, Capesize ships), leading to prolonged single-ship loading time and reduced port berth turnover rate.
3. Difficulty in environmental compliance: Material conveying of traditional equipment is mostly open, which easily generates a large amount of dust pollution. Noise levels often exceed 85dB, failing to meet international environmental standards such as the EU's CE and Russia's EAC; some equipment lacks a sealed design. In rainy or windy weather, it can also cause material moisture deterioration or scattering, resulting in material loss and environmental damage.
4. Persistently high comprehensive costs: The infrastructure cost of fixed ship loaders (such as concrete foundations, track laying) accounts for more than 40% of the total investment. Post-operation maintenance requires shutdown and disassembly, with a long maintenance cycle and high labor costs; the annual fuel costs and driver labor costs of the dump truck transportation model account for 35% of port operating costs, resulting in poor long-term economic efficiency.

ZOOMRY Mobile Ship Loaders

Developed by ZOOMRY, the ZRSL series mobile ship loaders focus on "full-scenario adaptation and end-to-end optimization". They have obtained international certifications including CE, EAC, and KCS, and comply with multiple system requirements such as CEMA (Conveyor Equipment Manufacturers Association), AS (Australian Standards), and GB (Chinese Standards). Their core advantages can cover all port loading/unloading needs:

Full-Scenario Mobile Adaptation, Breaking Site Limitations

ZOOMRY mobile ship loaders offer three mobility options—wheel-type, crawler-type, and full-hydraulic wheel—which can be flexibly selected according to port site conditions:

• The wheel-type model is suitable for standard terminals with hardened surfaces, with a moving speed of up to 6km/h. It can operate across 4 adjacent berths without additional infrastructure;
• The crawler-type model is designed for muddy, uneven mine-specific terminals or temporary berths. With a ground pressure as low as 0.06MPa, it can move stably on sites with a slope of ≤18°, solving the "site restriction" problem of traditional equipment;
• The full-hydraulic wheel model supports three-way adjustment ("radial rotation + telescoping + luffing") with a maximum rotation angle of 120° (compared to only 70° for traditional fixed ship loaders). It can adapt to all-tonnage ships such as barges (0-30,000 DWT), medium-sized bulk carriers (35,000-50,000 DWT), and Capesize ships (80,000-120,000 DWT). A single unit can replace the operational range of 2-3 traditional fixed ship loaders.

High-Efficiency and Low-Consumption Loading/Unloading

• Upgraded loading efficiency: The equipment adopts an optimized lattice boom design, ensuring unobstructed material conveying channels. The belt speed can reach 3.5-4.0m/s, and the maximum loading capacity of a single unit is 3,500t/h (compared to an average of 1,200t/h for traditional fixed ship loaders); through the "PLC automatic stacking system", it can automatically adjust loading angle and speed according to the position of ship holds, avoiding material accumulation or interruption, and shortening single-ship loading time by 25%-35%.
• Significant cost reduction: Compared to traditional fixed ship loaders, mobile ship loaders require no infrastructure investment, reducing initial costs by 40%; post-operation maintenance does not require shutdown. 70% of fault diagnosis can be realized through the remote control system, shortening the maintenance cycle to within 24 hours and reducing annual maintenance costs by 35%; meanwhile, the equipment can replace the transportation capacity of 20-25 dump trucks, saving more than 2.8 million yuan in annual fuel and labor costs.

End-to-End Environmental Compliance

ZOOMRY mobile ship loaders achieve environmental breakthroughs in three aspects: "material sealing, noise control, and low-carbon design":

• Material sealing: Adopts a folded tubular belt design (optional for some models), enabling fully sealed material conveying with dust emissions ≤3mg/m³, far below the EU EN 15237 standard (≤20mg/m³);
• Noise control: Core components (such as idlers and rollers) adopt a noise reduction design. Idler noise is ≤45dB (compared to ≤55dB in Chinese GB standards), and the overall operational noise of the equipment is ≤70dB, meeting the noise limit requirements for residential areas around ports;
• Low-carbon design: Optional "diesel generator set + municipal power dual power supply". In areas with municipal power supply, electric energy is preferred, reducing carbon emissions by 40% compared to traditional diesel-driven equipment; meanwhile, the equipment's energy consumption is 15% lower than that of traditional fixed ship loaders, reducing CO₂ emissions by approximately 80 tons annually.

Intelligent and Convenient Operation & Maintenance

The equipment supports three control modes—"PLC automatic control, remote control, and manual control"—and is equipped with a 10.1-inch HMI touch screen with Chinese-English bilingual switching on the operation interface:

• In PLC automatic mode, 5 loading schemes (such as ore, coal, cement) can be preset. The equipment automatically adjusts belt speed and boom angle to achieve "unmanned" loading;
• Remote control adopts industrial-grade wireless communication with a control distance of up to 800 meters. Operators do not need to work beside the equipment, improving safety;
• Key components (such as hydraulic system, belt tension) are equipped with real-time monitoring sensors. Data is synchronized to the HMI screen, and automatic alarms and fault point prompts are triggered in case of abnormalities, reducing reliance on professional operators.

Application Scenarios of ZOOMRY Mobile Ship Loaders

Key Technical Parameters

The core technical parameters of ZOOMRY mobile ship loaders are strictly matched to the large-capacity needs of global ports. The main models and applicable scenarios are shown in the following table:

In terms of structural design, the equipment also has the following advantages:

• High-strength structure: The boom and chassis are made of Q355B high-strength carbon steel, processed by a CNC four-roll bending machine with an ovality of ≤1.5mm. Key stress points are reinforced with 40Cr forgings, capable of withstanding force 12 winds;
• Safety guarantee: Equipped with a triple safety system—"rope break protection, power failure self-locking, and belt deviation prevention". When the rope breaks, the mechanical limit device locks the boom within 0.01 seconds; when the power is cut off, the hydraulic winch automatically self-locks; when the belt deviation exceeds 50mm, it automatically shuts down, complying with the international ISO 13849 safety standard;
• Convenient transportation and assembly: The entire machine can be disassembled and loaded into 40-inch HQ containers, reducing international transportation costs by 25%; on-site assembly takes only 10-20 days, and is equipped with a detailed assembly manual and engineer remote guidance, no professional construction team required.

Core Applicable Scenarios

1. Seaport container terminals: Adaptable to different types of large ships, it can move flexibly between multiple berths, solving the resource waste problem of "one machine per berth" for traditional fixed ship loaders and improving terminal turnover rate;
2. Inland river ports: Targeting the characteristics of small-tonnage inland ships and scattered berths, wheel-type mobile ship loaders require no infrastructure, can be quickly deployed, and meet the short-distance transfer needs of bulk materials such as sand, gravel, and coal;
3. Mine-specific ports: Crawler-type models can operate in muddy sites around mines, adapting to the loading of heavy materials such as ore and slag. The sealed design avoids material scattering and pollution of the surrounding environment;
4. Cement/aggregate terminals: The equipment supports "dust-free loading", which can avoid cement dust flying. The boom telescopic length can reach 30 meters, which can be directly connected to the feed inlet of cement tankers, reducing transfer links.

Why Choose ZOOMRY

As one of the three core enterprises in China's bulk material conveying equipment industry, ZOOMRY guarantees the quality of mobile ship loaders through the entire chain of "R&D, production, testing, and service":

• 20 years of industry experience: Since its establishment in 2002, it has completed more than 500 bulk material conveying projects worldwide, including mobile ship loader projects covering 15 countries such as China, Russia, South Korea, and Australia, serving nearly 200 customers;
• Professional R&D and testing: Has 4 major testing centers—"Chemical Laboratory, Hardness Laboratory, Idler Laboratory, and Mechanical Performance Testing Laboratory"—equipped with more than 60 testing equipment (such as idler life testing machines, hydraulic system pressure resistance testers). All mobile ship loaders must pass 120 hours of no-load testing + 80 hours of load testing before leaving the factory;
• International certifications and standards: Products have passed ISO 9001 quality management system and ISO 14001 environmental management system certifications, with full coverage of CE (EU), EAC (Russia), and KCS (South Korea) certifications. They can be adapted to international standards such as CEMA, AS, and DIN according to customer needs;
• Global service network: Provides "24-hour technical consultation, 48-hour spare parts supply, and 72-hour on-site service". The equipment warranty period is as long as 2 years, and core components (idlers, rollers) are warranted for 5 years with a service life of up to 50,000 hours.

Under the global trend of ports pursuing "cost reduction and efficiency improvement, and green transformation", ZOOMRY mobile ship loaders focus on "replacing traditional equipment and adapting to future needs". Through flexible mobile design, efficient loading/unloading capacity, strict environmental standards, and a complete service system, they provide global port customers with a "one-stop bulk material loading solution". Whether it is a small inland river port or a large ocean terminal, whether it is ore, coal, cement, or aggregates, ZOOMRY mobile ship loaders can achieve the value of "replacing multiple traditional equipment with one machine", helping customers reduce comprehensive costs by 30%, improve operational efficiency by 25%, and meet global environmental compliance requirements.

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