Ghana: The Ministry of Health has responded to criticism from the Chamber of Cement Manufacturers (COCMAG) about disinfection measures being used at ports. It said that it was being used to on the exterior of imported goods and cargo to control or kill infectious agents. It added that the procedure was being implemented on any vehicle that crossed designated biosecurity zones without exception.

“It is obvious that COCMAG, of which you are the executive secretary, does not have much information about the disinfection health service, its applications and the benefits of such a service,” said the ministry in a statement in response to comments in the local press by COCMAG’s leader George Dawson-Ahmoah. It added that the fee for the service was to protect the local economy from the effects of diseases such as Ebola and Covid-19 and that sea ports were, “one of the most infected areas in the country.”

COCMAG has lobbied the government to scrap the disinfection or fumigation levy on cement imports at the country’s ports. It argues that such measures are unnecessary for dry cargo such as clinker, limestone, and other cement raw materials, according to the Ghana News Agency. The levy adds a reported US$0.50/t of cement.

Puerto Rico: Cemex Puerto Rico has extended its contract with the Puerto Rico Ports Authority by 20 years. The subsidiary of Mexico-based Cemex uses Pier 16 of the Port of San Juan. Joel A Pizá Batiz, the executive director of the port authority, said that data from the Development Bank Economic showed that country had a cement demand of 590,000t in 2020. He added that Cemex’s investment in the local economy was over US$400m and it injects US$20m/yr into the local economy. Cemex operates the Ponce plant in Puerto Rico. It switched to grinding cement in 2018.

Russia: Spasskcement’s Novospassky Cement Plant in Primorsky reached a clinker production record of 1.96Mt in 2021. Clinker output beat the previous record set in 1988 by 20,000t and exceeded the design capacity of the unit of 1.84Mt of clinker by over 100,000t. Victor Ivanov, manager of Spasskcement, attributed the result to new equipment, longer lasting refractory material, the gasification of the plant and a good team of staff.

Russia: Germany-based Wacker has opened an additional laboratory in Moscow. The development site will focus on water-repellent silicone additives for cement and concrete. Mechanical pressure tests and ultrasound and temperature measurements are among the services that the new laboratory offers for water-repellent treatment of cement and concrete. The site is part of Wacker’s Innovation Hub for Cement and Concrete.

Wacker opened its first technical laboratory in Moscow in 2003. Both Wacker Silicones and Wacker Polymers now operate multiple labs in Moscow for construction chemical products. The new laboratory also hopes to collaborate with local universities and testing facilities and the first projects have already been commissioned.