Apparatus for unloading bulk material

An apparatus for unloading bulk material from ships in particular, said apparatus comprising a vertical conveyor and a horizontal conveyor connected thereto, said vertical conveyor being provided at its feeding end with a rotary feeding device for feeding the bulk material into the vertical conveyor, the apparatus also comprising a rotatable material supply device adapted to supply material to the feeder and operable by means of a driving motor at a speed adapted to the supply of material to said feeder, characterized in that the material supply device has a material draw-in device surrounding the feeder and having at least one helical wing which is adapted to convey bulk material in a substantially radial inward direction toward said feeder and which is connected with the motor of the material supply device by a driving pipe surrounding the supporting pipe of the feeder, and that said material draw-in device is connected to said driving pipe by means of a gimbal joint to be universally tiltable relative to said driving pipe, said feeder and said vertical conveyor.