Wood chips pile out at Morehead City port

Wood chips pile out at Morehead City port    The North Carolina State Ports Authority this week loaded the first wood chip vessel from the Port of Morehead City on behalf of Cogent Fibre and Industrial Marine Services.
   About 40,000 tons of wood chips were placed on board the Stellar Grace destined for Turkey to be used in the manufacturing of medium-density fiberboard.
   The rehabilitation of the wood chip facility in Morehead City was the result of a $1.5 million joint venture between exporter Cogent Fibre and marine contracting firm Industrial Marine Services. Cogent Fibre has been debarking and chipping timber sourced from areas in eastern North Carolina at the Port of Morehead City since April.
   'The port and surrounding area provide a deepwater berth, pre-existing wood chip receiving and loading equipment, a strong wood fiber basket and an excellent logging and trucking force,' said Robert Mantrop, principle at Cogent Fibre, in a statement.
   Established in 2005, Cogent Fibre is a privately held company that produces and exports pine wood chips from the U.S. East Coast. To date, Cogent Fibre has exported nearly 3 million metric tons of pine wood chips.