Displaying items by tag: Netherlands
Ferus Smit launches MV Shetland cement carrier
17 April 2019Netherlands: Ferus Smit has launched MV Shetland at its Westerbroek Yard. The 8000DWT vessel is the third dedicated cement carrier built for JT Cement, a joint venture between Sweden’s Erik Thun and Norway’s Jebsen Cement.
The ship is equipped with a liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuelled propulsion system to reduce its emissions. It incorporates a 200m3 pressurised LNG tank positioned in the foreship. The cement cargo system will consist of a fully automated cement loading and unloading system, based on fluidisation of cement by means of compressed air.
Malvern Panalytical launches next version of Epsilon 1 X-ray fluorescence spectrometer
19 March 2019Netherlands: Malvern Panalytical has launched a next version of Epsilon 1 X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer. The upgrade has reduced the product’s size to 0.15m2. Its precision has been improved by integrating a high-power X-ray tube and a new detector.
“With the new generation of our compact Epsilon 1 benchtop XRF spectrometers, you can take a small yet powerful lab directly to your sample for fast product screening and process control”, said Lieven Kempenaers, Malvern Panalytical Product Manager for benchtop XRF systems.
The Epsilon 1 product is available in a number of versions tailored for difference applications. The Epsilon 1 Lube Oil delivers ASTM 6481-compliant elemental analysis of unused lubricating oils; the Epsilon 1 Sulfur in Fuels quantifies sulphur content in fuels according to ASTM D4294-10 and ISO 20847; the Epsilon 1 Academia enables characterisation of unidentified samples, using Omnian software for standardless analysis; and the integrated camera in the Epsilon 1 for Small Spot Analysis simplifies the investigation of very small objects, inclusions or inhomogeneities.
LafargeHolcim wins contract for Afsluitdijk renovation project
11 January 2019Netherlands: LafargeHolcim has been awarded a contract for the renovation of the Afsluitdijk, a sea defence infrastructure projects. The building materials company will use its Holcim Basalton Quattroblock concrete product to cover around 700,000m2 of the 32km long dam. In addition, LafargeHolcim has developed a logistics plan where materials are delivered by sea to avoid additional traffic on the dam. The total construction costs for the project is around Euro550m.
To support the project, LafargeHolcim is also investing in the expansion of its Dutch concrete products plant that is part of its Solutions & Products segment. When completed later in 2019, the expanded plant will be able to produce 1000t/day of concrete Quattroblocks for customers in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
The Afsluitdijk upgrade is intended to enable the dyke to withstand a one in 10,000 year storm as well as provide protection against rising sea water levels. The project is led by the Levvel consortium comprising BAM, Van Oord and Rebel. Construction started at the end of 2018 and it is scheduled for completion in 2023.
Netherlands: Van Aalst says that NACC Alicudi is the world’s first cement carrier equipped with International Maritime Organization (IMO) Tier III compliant diesel engines driving the bulk handling system. Converted in 2017 with a Van Aalst dry bulk handling system, the vessel became a 120m self-discharging cement carrier, with a cement handling system based on compressors and vacuum pumps, driven by Tier III Scania engines. This has created a ‘unique’ vacuum-pressure system for pneumatic conveyance of cement, fly ash and granulated slag.
Directly after completion of the conversion, the NACC Alicudi entered the trade for a three-year contract on the east coast of the US and Canada, an area that has been a NOx Emission Control Area (ECA) for new built and converted vessels since January 2016. Van Aalst says that this approach fits well with the environmental policies of both NovaAlgoma Cement Carriers and McInnis Cement. The high emission standards of the vessel will enable a shift to the US Gulf of Mexico, Puerto Rico and Hawaii.
Damen shipyard upgrades cement carrier
16 January 2018Netherlands: The Damen shipyard at Oranjewerf in Amsterdam has upgraded the cement carrying capacity of the Lelie C owned by Cebo Marine. Eight new cement silos, with a capacity of 40m3 each, have been installed on the vessel alongside general maintenance.
The silos were previously fitted on the VOS Symphony prior to it going for scrap. Damen Shiprepair Oranjewerf removed the tanks, refurbished them and then installed them on board the Lelie C. The shipyard also built a silo foundation and fitted it in the vessel’s hold. 80m of stiffeners were welded into place in the double bottom tanks to provide the necessary support. Alongside this, approximately 100m² of grating walkway was fabricated and fitted on the deck to give access to the manifolds on each of the new silos. The supply and discharge and air pipe system for the two existing silos was also refurbished to accommodate the new capacity.
“Two years ago we installed the original tanks from the Ritske, a vessel belonging to the same client, and now we have repeated the process again, this time on a much larger scale. The Lelie C began her life as a general cargo vessel, but now her transformation into a cement carrier is complete,” said Jeen van der Werf, Commercial Manager at Damen Shiprepair Oranjewerf.
Europe: The closing date of the merger between refractory manufacturers RHI and Magnesita is expected to be 26 October 2017. This follows approval by the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM) for the prospectus for admission to listing of RHI Magnesita shares on the Premium Listing segment of the Official List of the UK Financial Conduct Authority and to trading on the London Stock Exchange’s (LSE) Main Market for listed securities. The new company, RHI Magnesita, will start trading on the LSE on 27 October 2017.
N+P Recycling celebrates 25th anniversary
07 July 2017Netherlands: Alternative fuels specialist N+P Recycling has celebrated its 25th anniversary and the opening of its new headquarters in Nieuw-Bergen, Limburg. Company chief executive officer (CEO) Karel Jennissen presided at the event and Manon Pelzer, the mayoress of Nieuw-Bergen, was also in attendance.
200 guests attended the opening that included a guided tour of the new premises. At a ceremony marking the anniversary Karel Jennissen, with his wife Karin, presented the history of the company. Their three sons Lars, Stijn and Jens then gave guests a personal insight into their own experiences with the firm. This was followed the next day by a general tour of the facility for the local community with around 1000 members of the public.
A full report will be published in the September 2017 edition of Global Cement Magazine, including a visit to the company’s 80,000t/yr Subcoal production facility in Farmsum.
Image 1: Karel Jennissen of N+P Recycling
Image 2: Karel Jennissen N+P Recycling with his sons Lars, Stijn and Jens
Metso signs distribution agreement with Process Control Equipment to cover UK, Benelux and Spain
28 June 2017Finland: Metso has signed a distribution agreement for its valve products with Process Control Equipment (PCE) to cover the UK, Benelux and Spain. Under the non-exclusive agreement, PCE will add to its current portfolio of Metso's Neles and Jamesbury product families for all process industries in all countries. PCE has been distributing Metso's Jamesbury valves in the UK since 2012.
"The new agreement brings benefits for Metso's customers in UK, Benelux and Spain to ensure better availability and service support for them. The expansion of distributors in these countries will bring additional value, including more local support, local inventories, and faster deliveries of our products," said Kyle Rayhill, Director of Global Distribution, Flow Control, Metso.
LafargeHolcim establishes new European Works Council
28 March 2017Switzerland: LafargeHolcim and employee representatives in Europe have established a new European Works Council (EWC). The forum for consultation and dialogue at a transnational level will bring together worker representatives from 19 countries with senior leaders from LafargeHolcim.
“People are essential to the success of LafargeHolcim and our commitment to social dialogue through the new European Works Council is testament to this. During a period of transformation, we recognise that ensuring the full commitment, mobilisation, and engagement of our employees is a key building block for success,” said Eric Olsen, chief executive officer of LafargeHolcim.
The EWC was established based on an agreement signed by Olsen and Executive Committee members Caroline Luscombe, responsible for Organisation and Human Resources and Roland Köhler, responsible for Europe, Australia / New Zealand and Trading as well as Sam Hägglund, General Secretary of the European Federation of Building and Woodworkers EFBWW, among other management and employee representatives. Chaired by Köhler, the EWC replaces the previous European Works Councils. Countries represented in the EWC include Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland and the UK.
Owner of Panalytical buys Pixirad
09 February 2017Italy: Spectris, the company that owns Panalytical, has acquired Pixirad, a technology company that develops and distributes X-ray detectors. The business will be integrated into Panalytical within Spectris’ Materials Analysis division.
Pixirad was established in 2012 under the spin-off programme of the Instituto Nationale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN). The detector technology was originally developed through research into advanced particle physics and space research technologies and has been improved by Pixirad for use with high energetic X-rays. Before the purchase, Panalytical solds the Pixirad detectors as a high-end option for its Empyrean X-ray diffraction (XRD) instrument used for various materials analysis applications. Following the acquisition the combination of Pixirad’s technology with Panalytical’s experience in products using X-ray detectors is expected to allow expansion of the range applications addressed by existing and future instruments.