Netherlands: 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.

Kenya: Bamburi Cement’s profit before tax fell to US$6.73m in 2018 from US$40.7m in 2017. Its turnover rose by 4% to US$369m from US$356m. Its cement volumes grew by 5%. It blamed the drop in profits on increasing energy and raw material costs. The subsidiary of LafargeHolcim noted that the market delinked by 5% in Kenya, its primary market, and was ‘flat’ in Uganda. It also noted ‘increased competitive pressure’ due to cement grinding production capacity and the ‘shrinking’ market.

Tajikistan: The Ministry of Industry and New Technologies (MOINT) says that Tajik-Chinese joint ventures Chzhungtsai Mohir Cement, Huaxin Gayur Cement, and Huaxin Gayur Sughd Cement accounted for nearly 85% of local cement production in the first three months of 2019. Overall production grew by 9% year-on-year to 0.84Mt from 0.75Mt in the same period in 2018, according to the Asia-Plus News Agency. Around 36% of production was exported with more than 150,000t of cement to Uzbekistan, more than 140,000t of cement to Afghanistan and nearly 12,000t of cement to Kyrgyzstan. Tajikistan has 13 cement plants with a total production capacity of 4.7Mt/yr.

Kenya: Employees of the East African Portland Cement Company (EAPCC) have filed an application at the Court of Appeal to jail the company’s directors for not paying them. The workers argue that, despite both the labour and appellate courts having directed that they be paid, the company directors have failed to comply, according to the Business Daily newspaper. Over 400 workers were awarded nearly US$14m under a 2012 - 2015 collective bargaining agreement (CBA).