S.P. Inter Marine Expands Cargo Handling

Long established in the trucking, warehousing, cargo transfer and barging industry of Thailand, S.P. Inter Marine can be described as a broadly horizontally integrated firm. With a well constructed presence at Ayutthaya, about 80 kmup the Chao Phrya River from the Gulf of Thailand; it continues to expand its warehousing capacities for Thai agricultural cargos like tapioca.

Its barge loading facility can handle a wide range of products from domestic aggregate to export agriculture products. In addition to typical river barges, its fleet includes some larger 60 by 16-m barges with 3,000-ton capacities. These are typically towed by steel tugs with 600-hp Cummins KTA-19 engines. The barges and tugs are of sufficient size and power to move barges down river to waiting ships in the estuary or along the coast of the Gulf of Thailand.

On arrival at the ship, barges are swiftly unloaded directly to the waiting bulkers. With the appropriate logistics support, the barges can often take on fresh import cargos from other vessels for the trip back up river.

The lightering of cargo to or from barges with ships at anchor in mid-stream represents a significant savings from transfer over a dock. Not only is the transfer done speedily and efficiently, there are further savings in transport of cargos by barge rather than truck or train. S.P. Inter Marine owns six large capacity floating cargo cranes and is in the process of fitting out a seventh floating crane alongside at one of their cargo transfer stations in Ayutthaya. The 70 x 22 x 6-mbarge, built at the companys Ayutthaya shipyard, is being fitted with three 35-ton cranes. Three air-cooled Cummins KTA38- powered generator sets, mounted on the barge deck, will provide power for the cranes electric motors.

When delivered in June of this year, the new crane barge will joint the company fleet of lightering equipment to move agriculture products from barges to an anchored ship or from ship to barge.