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Land Utilization                  Bauxite Mining                Ore Processing                 Materials

WINDALCO's rail transportation requirements for alumina and imported bulk materials were met by the Jamaica Railway Corporation (JRC) up until November 1990, when a new agreement came into effect with JRC. Under this agreement, a new entity - Middlesex Railway Services (MRS), a division of WINDALCO, provides rail service for the company.

MRS operations are confined to WINDALCO corridor tracks.  All shunting operations at the Port and both Plants are now undertaken by the new entity. JRC continues to own the mainline tracks in that corridor, while MRS provides all track maintenance services.

All rolling stock (164 rail cars of various types) and the switching locomotives are owned by WINDALCO and operated and maintained by MRS. Permanent crew accommodation, track maintenance and locomotive maintenance and servicing facilities are in place.

MRS is organised to operate within the Mines, Port and Transportation Unit thereby benefiting from operation synergy while retaining the advantages of its unique character through direct linkage to WINDALCO.

Train transporting alumina

Built between 1952 and 1954 near Old Harbour, St. Catherine, the Port is 51 km by rail from both alumina Plants. The first shipment of bulk alumina was made in 1954.

The 208m long concrete and steel pier with the channel and turning basin recently dredged to a safe draft of 11.8 m, can load vessels of Handymax size (40,000 tonnes) of alumina in a turn-around time of 45 hours.

Five large silos, capable of holding 72,800 tonnes of alumina in bulk, feed a conveyor which can discharge 1,400 tonnes an hour into the ship's hold. The pier provides berths for two vessels at a time, one of which is installed with the alumina ship-loading facilities, whilst both berths can handle the loading and unloading of general cargo, raw material and fuel oil. There is a shore wharf approximately 76m long with maximum draft of 5.2m, for handling smaller vessels.

Bulk storage facilities are in place for fuel oil (50,000 Mt) and liquid caustic soda (55,000 Mt) - all for use at the two alumina plants.

The Old Harbour Power Station owned by the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) is supplied with Bunker 'C' Oil via undersea pipeline from storage at Port Esquivel, which is specially reserved for receiving JPS fuel oil in Port.

Since October 1991, the company has set up its own customs bonded warehousing facilities at Port Esquivel. Containerized cargo and other goods from overseas are received, cleared and distributed to all WINDALCO's locations. Formerly, this service was carried out at a privately owned customs bonded warehouse in Kingston.
 

"Dust-free" Shiploader
installed in 1998