Japanese recycler Matec has exported about 32,000 tonne (t) of iron scrap, considered the largest ever bulk scrap consignment, to Bangladesh. The material was shipped in a large vessel and, going forward, the company plans to address the problem of surplus availability of scrap on the local market through export of large tonnages in big vessels to remote locations.
The shipment comprising both heavy and shredded scrap was done from two ports – the Ishikari Bay New Port and Kushiro Port. Approximately 17,000 t was loaded at Ishikari Bay New Port and around 15,000 t from Kushiro Port.
Boosting exports
The company has a track record of exporting about 5,000-22,000 t of ferrous scrap per ship to Vietnam, Bangladesh and Taiwan. The supplier intends to use larger vessels at multiple ports and verify various issues, including costs, ship allocation and cargo handling.
At Ishikari Bay New Port, a national project is currently underway to develop a quay and backyard with a depth of 12 m and length of 240 m by investing about JPY 9.2 billion in six years. The purpose is to enhance international competitiveness by using large vessels of 30,000 t capacity and by sorting and accumulating high-quality scraps by type to enable exports to Southeast Asia and the Straits of Malacca.
The amount of iron scrap generated in Japan’s Hokkaido is about 1 million tonne (mnt) per year, and about 30% of it is consumed by local electric furnace manufacturers. Due to the decrease in product demand, the consumption of iron scrap in Hokkaido is also on the decline.
In 2009, about 579,649 t of scrap was exported, of which 221,960 t was from Ishikari Bay New Port – a major demand hub in the hinterland.
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