NCT Durban Wood Chips

NCT Durban Wood Chips is an R80 million wood-chipping mill located at Maydon Wharf in the Port of Durban. Construction and the installation of machinery was completed in July 2004 and with the first intake of logs for chipping in August 2004.

The facility, which took two years to complete, was a joint venture between NCT Forestry (the major shareholder) and Zululand Chip Management Company. Today, NCT Durban Wood Chips is wholly-owned by NCT Forestry.

The mill consists of a totally enclosed and cladded wood chip storage shed. It is 320 metres in length, 49,1 metres wide and 36 metres high. The shed holds 244 000 cubic metres or 80 000 tonnes of wood chips. It also features two log decks and two-22metre, 60 tonne weighbridges for road vehicles and 1-100 tonne rail weighbridge.

The debarked 2,4 m logs arrive at the plant via rail and truck where they are be fed into an imported Camura-Metso chipper. A conveyor belt moves the wood chips to the storage shed with a capacity of 80 000 tonnes. The wood chips are conveyed to a ship loader fitted with a jet-slinger that evenly sprays the chips into the hold. It takes about four days to load a ship.

Exports are earmarked for Japan.

FSC CHAIN-OF-CUSTODY POLICY

VISUAL REPORTS
FACT SHEET

Related News:

Another first for Durban Wood Chips
2009-12-08
NCT Durban Wood Chips exported its first shipment of pure E. smithii woodchips to Japan in September.

A two-million-tonne milestone
2009-12-08
On 3 August 2009, NCT Durban Wood Chips(DWC) reached another milestone when it exported its millionth tonne of wood chips to japan

Maiden Voyages
Aug 2008

A Million Reasons to Smile
Dec 2007

Lessening the Impact on the Environment
Sept 2006

Durban Wood Chips Officially Opened
2005-05-31
NCT Durban Wood Chips (Pty) Limited (DWC) was officially opened on Thursday, 12 May, by Maria Ramos, CEO of Transnet as it loaded its fourth export ship destined for Japan.

First Ship Expected In January
2005-03-11
NCT Durban Wood Chips eagerly awaits its first export ship at the end of January 2005.

Durban Chips Away
2004-09-07
NCT Durban Wood Chips has started up and begins chipping for export.