Subcon Completes Its First African Contract
Subcon Europe was contracted by Subtech Group for the design and fabrication of 1680 m2 of CoastMatt for the scour protection of Terminal de Carvão da Matola in Maputo, Mozambique.
This dry bulk terminal has an annual export of 7.5 million tonne of coal and magnetite and the scour protection was part of the current upgrading of the terminal to accept delivery of super panamax vessels.
The CoastMatt design previously used in Subcon’s Brisbane River project was appropriated for use on this project.
The steel work was fabricated in Cape Town and then trucked to Mozambique. Once on site, project engineer Jack Francis oversaw the production and installation of the CoastMatts.
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, the company explained.
This project marks the first contract executed in the African region by Subcon.
