Global Cement News

Cyprus: Eureka Shipping has ordered two cement carriers from Netherlands-based shipbuilder Royal Bodewes. This latest order represents the fourth and fifth ships in a series that Eureka Shipping, a joint venture between SMT Cement Ships and the CSL Group, has requested from the shipbuilder, according to Maritime Reporter & Engineering News. The new ships follow the Aalborg White, Kongsdal and Norden that were built in 2019. Each vessel has a capacity of 4252dwt. Eureka Shipping operates a fleet of 13 cement carriers with a range of 3000 – 23,000dwt.

New Zealand: Stevenson Concrete is set to bring concrete made using CarbonCure technology to the country in July 2021. The Auckland-based concrete producer is currently conducting final internal quality assurance at its Drury quarry and concrete plant before opening the product up on general sale. Canada-based CarbonCure’s technology uses a CO₂ mineralisation process during production to reduce carbon footprint of concrete.

"Along with a number of other carbon-decreasing initiatives we are using, this technology is going to change the way New Zealand builds houses, footpaths, roads, pipes, and thousands of other man-made, everyday objects. Stevenson has brought it into the New Zealand mainstream, just as this technology is used in countries like Singapore, North America and parts of Europe," said Anthony Bitossi, general manager of Stevenson Concrete.

Brazil: Companhia Siderúrgica Nacional (CSN) has agreed to buy Cimento Elizabeth for US$220m from Farallon Capital. The acquisition will give CSN an additional 1.3Mt/yr cement production capacity bringing its total to 6Mt/yr, according to the Valor Econômico newspaper. The deal will also give it a presence in the Northeast, add modern equipment to its assets and ‘substantial’ reserves of limestone, The purchase will be subject to regulatory approval.

India: Wonder Cement has ordered its eighth vertical roller mill from Germany-based Gebr. Pfeiffer. A MPS 3070 BK type mill has been selected for grinding petroleum coke and coal. The throughput rate for pure petcoke grinding will be 40t/hr with a product fineness of 2% R 90µm. The mill will be equipped with an SLS 2900 BK type classifier. Due to the high abrasiveness of Indian coal, the mill and classifier will be designed with a correspondingly robust wear protection. The new mill will support the fourth 8000t/day production line at the producer’s plant at Tehsil Nimbahera, Chittorgarh in Rajasthan.

Most of the components of the coal mill will be manufactured by Gebr. Pfeiffer India including the housing and foundation parts, the grinding bowl and a large part of the force-transmitting parts. Delivery of the mill is scheduled for the end of 2021. Commissioning of the entire kiln line with the new grinding plant is scheduled for spring 2022.

Cameroon: Luc Magloire, the Minister of Commerce, has written to Cimenteries du Cameroun (CIMENCAM) threatening to close its production facilities if it raises its prices without approval. In the letter the minister accused the subsidiary of LafargeHolcim of increasing its wholesale prices and of preparing to do so again without consent, according to the Ecofin Agency. Prices have reportedly risen by up to 8% in some places.

Friction occurred between the government and CIMENCAM in 2020 when LafargeHolcim renewed the term of Benoît Galichet as the chief executive officer of its local subsidiary. The government, a large minority shareholder of the company, opposed the decision. The government and the cement producer have also disagreed previously over the price of cement.