The Alabama Port Authority has awarded a $20 million contract for stacker reclaimer work at the McDuffie Coal Terminal, part of a $200 million coal terminal modernization project.
Richmond Engineering will engineer, fabricate and install the new equipment, which replaces units installed in 1974 and 1982.
The new, more efficient units will allow nearly double loading speeds, which the authority notes is valuable for the new bigger ships that can access the port when the current deepening and widening project is complete in mid-2025.
“With the widening and deepening of the channel coming online next year, these investments are a top priority for the port so we can load bigger ships with more cargo even more efficiently,” said John Driscoll, director and CEO of the Alabama Port Authority. “Not only will the new efficiencies allow us to deliver a competitive advantage to our customers, but it also strengthens our ability to drive economic growth for the state of Alabama.”
The selection of Richmond Engineering, based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, reflects the port’s intention of hiring U.S. based contractors. Moreover, a third of the project work is earmarked for Alabama businesses.
“Selecting Richmond Engineering Works reinforces our commitment to investing in U.S. manufacturing and supporting the Alabama workforce,” said Driscoll. “This project is especially exciting because it enhances our operational capabilities at McDuffie Coal Terminal and highlights the strength and ingenuity of American engineering and manufacturing.”
Richmond Engineering Works Operating Manager R. Mark Judy, P.E., said, “These will be the first machines of this size built in the United States and engineered by a U.S.-based company in nearly 50 years. All of the fabrication for these machines will be done in the United States, with much of it provided by Alabama-based shops. Construction labor will be performed by Mobile-area contractors. Over the past few years, we have supplied a new rail car dumper and a train positioner, along with major upgrades to barge unloading equipment at McDuffie Coal Terminal.”
REW expects to open a Mobile office for the project, with engineering and technical staff.
The port notes that 97% of coal passing handled at McDuffie Terminal “is metallurgical coal mined in Alabama for use in steel-making operations worldwide. Much of this steel returns through the Port of Mobile for use in the Alabama automotive industry, further supporting Alabama businesses.”
