BIBO

Sugar Australia proudly operates the world’s only specialised food grade bulk refined sugar vessel – the MV Pioneer (BIBO – with a cargo capacity of 20,000 tonnes. The vessel provides our customers with a food-grade sea transport system designed to load and transport refined sugar in bulk to Australian and overseas destinations.

The acronym 'BIBO' describes how the vessel operates. Refined sugar is loaded into the ship as a Bulk In process then can be subsequently unloaded either in bulk (Bulk Out) or in bags (Bag Out).

Refined sugar from Racecourse Refinery is stored in bulk in the large port silo at Mackay Port. It is then bulk loaded on the portside conveyed by a belt housed in an enclosed hygienic tubular gantry into the ship's sealed holds. While in the ship, the sugar is stored in insulated air-conditioned holds, lined with stainless steel. At the port of discharge, sugar unloads in bulk onto a fully enclosed conveyer belt at a rate of up to 400 tonnes per hour. Bagged sugar is unloaded from the on-vessel bagging plant via two portside elevators connecting to conveyors at about 3,000 tonnes per day, and finally truck loaders located on the wharf.