OREANDA-NEWS. September 12, 2011. Mechel (NYSE: MTL), one of the leading Russian mining and metals companies, announces record coal transshipment results achieved by Trade Port Posiet in August, reported the press-centre of Mechel.

In August, Trade Port Posiet loaded 26 cargo ships with a total of 509,000 tonnes of coal products, which is the best monthly result in the port’s history.

The record was achieved due to improvements in the port’s technical support made within the framework of the large-scale modernization program scheduled to be completed by the end of 2012. By now, the port’s drainage runs, crane runways and railway tracks had already been lengthened, which enabled the company to admit simultaneously three ships to loading berths. The port commissioned additional equipment, including two hydraulic grab loaders produced by Terex Fuchs and Liebherr Group of Germany, a portal loader produced by Finnish-based Mantsinen Group, and a mobile stacker produced by British-based Telestack.

Mecheltrans Management Chief Executive Officer Alexander Starodubov commented on the record achievement: “This result became possible thanks to the improvement of the port’s technical facilities, implementation of new ways of wagon supply, increase of the daily norm for wagon admission to the port, as well as the well-coordinated efforts of Mechel’s entire transport division. Port Posiet thus achieved a new level in transshipment of coal, which is particularly important as the enterprise ensures access for Mechel  products to key Pacific Asian markets.”

As part of the modernization program, Trade Port Posiet O is currently undergoing technical re-equipment and expansion of the port’s infrastructure, aimed at increasing the port’s annual coal transshipment capacity to 9 million tonnes. Investment in Port Posiet coal complex’s technical modernization will amount to some 73 million dollars.