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Svetlogorsk Pulp and Board Mill to ship first batch of bleached sulphate pulp to China by rail

MINSK, 18 March (BelTA) - Svetlogorsk Pulp and Board Mill is gearing up to ship its first batch of bleached sulphate pulp to China by rail, BelTA learned from the press service of the Belarusian timber, woodworking, pulp and paper industry concern Bellesbumprom.

The cargo of more than 1,000 tonnes of pulp will be delivered directly to the client in the Chinese city of Chengdu. “It was made possible thanks to the assistance of the Belarusian Railways as part of the Belt and Road initiative. The railway transport is a more advantageous option compared to the traditional way of delivery through sea ports. It is a new and currently the most optimal logistics solution for the delivery of the Svetlogorsk Pulp and Board Mill products to China,” the press service said. “The new delivery scheme will reduce the logistics costs by 35%,” the press service added.

The loading of containers will take two to three days. After than the train will head for China. Once the cargo is delivered, the parties will assess the scheme and decide on its use on a permanent basis.

China is the key market for Svetlogorsk Pulp and Board Mill today. In January-February 2020 Belarus exported 19,500 tonnes of pulp to China. All in all, over the first two months of the year Svetlogorsk Pulp and Board Mill has sold more than 38,100 tonnes of pulp to nine countries, including 4,000 toones to the domestic market.

Ways are also considered to streamline the delivery scheme of raw material (pulpwood) to the plant. Taking into account a significant increase in production volumes and a continuous operation mode, the company needs steady supplies of wood raw materials – some 5,500 cubic meters per day. Timber is delivered to the plant mainly by rail.

Together with the Forestry Ministry and the Belarusian Railways, a decision was made to use logging cars with a capacity of 65 cubic meters each to deliver raw materials to the Svetlogorsk Pulp and Board Mill. “Taking into account that Svetlogorsk Pulp and Board Mill will consume about 2.5 million cubic meters of wood annually, the developed scheme is designed to ensure steady deliveries,” the press service said.

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