Zeamarine has been awarded a large ocean transportation from Schenker Australia Pty Limited for the BHP South Flank mining project in Western Australia. The project scope encompasses the transportation of approximately 450,000 freight tons from China to Port Hedland in Australia.

The BHP South Flank Project is located in the Pilbara, Western Australia and will become one of the largest mine sites for iron ore in the world. Crown jewel of the project is Mining Area C, which will become on one of Australia’s most advanced mines with digital connectivity, autonomous-ready fleets and a modular design.

The project has a price tag of USD 3.2 billion and is scheduled to commence operations in 2021. It is planned to run until 2046 with an annual capacity of 55 million tonnes. BHP Billiton owns 85% of the mine. The reaming 15% is divided between Itochu Minerals (8%) and Mitsui Iron (7%).

For Zeamarine, the majority of the cargo consists of heavy and oversized modules. The Bremen-based shipping company will utilize its newly-built ZEA 14k-900 vessel type for the execution of the project, which Zeamarine says are among “the most fuel-efficient and technologically advanced multi-purpose tonnage on the water today.”

“We are extremely proud of this major award, which represents the largest contract awarded to Zeamarine since its inception. The ZEA 14k-900 vessel class has proven again to be a valuable asset and we are pleased that our clients recognize the value of these modern and ecologically-friendly vessels,” said CCO Dominik Stehle of Zeamarine.

Frank Vogel, Director Projects at Schenker Australia, confirmed the vessels played an important role in the selection process. “After an extensive and competitive process, we selected Zeamarine due to its brand new fleet of environmentally friendly vessels that will be utilized for the project, as well as the overall execution proposal,” he said.

Zeamarine was established in September last year through the merger of Zeaborn and Intermarine. Zeaborn initially owned 75% of the joint venture, with Intermarine owning the remaining 25%, but Zeaborn recently took full control of the company. Today, Zeamarine operates about 90 multipurpose heavy lift vessels with capacities ranging between 6,300 and 30,000 dwt and a combined lifting capacity of up to 1,400 metric tons.