Hadn't realised that this one had set a record for the Port.
This piece courtesy of the Newcastle Evening Chronicle @
http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/north-ea ... z1uwmX4aeENew Orleans ship sets Port of Tyne cargo record
by Liz Walker, Evening Chronicle May 15 2012
TEN years ago bringing coal to Newcastle would have been laughable but today it is big business.
And it is getting bigger, as this super-ship has smashed the record for the largest ever cargo on the Tyne by bringing in 76,195 tonnes of coal.
In its heyday Tyneside was the world leader in exporting coal with 23 million tonnes leaving its ports every year.
But this cargo sailing up the river has travelled thousands of miles, all the way from deep within the ground of New Orleans, Louisiana, America.
The special delivery topped the previous record set by sister ship the Alam Penting, which in last August carried 75,000 tonnes into the port.
The Alam Pesona is 229m long, 37m wide, weighs 46,982 tonnes and has taken 18 days to reach the Port of Tyne without stopping, covering a distance of 4,800 nautical miles.
The port invested £5m in deepening the river last year, making it possible to handle 83% of the world’s global fleet of cargo vessels.
Steven Harrison, Port of Tyne chief operating officer, said: “Developments in the energy sector remain central to the Port of Tyne’s business.”
Coal has been an important cargo to the Tyne since the 16th Century, exported to every corner of the globe. Coal exports ceased from the river in 1998 and coal-loading equipment was sold to Lyttleton Port Company, New Zealand, in 2002.”
In 2004 coal began to be imported in large volumes and in 2011 over two million tonnes of coal was imported via the Port of Tyne.
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http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/north-ea ... z1ux0bqSVy
Posted: Mon May 14, 2012 9:21 pm