Cement News tagged under: Freight Markets

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Ohorongo to increase rail use

20 December 2018, Published under Cement News

Namibia’s Ohorongo Cement is working together with TransNamib, the country’s railway company, to take more than 5000 truck loads of product off the road. The cement producers will move more freight onto rail, reducing the use of road transport between the Sargberg plant and the northern regions, according to the Namibia Economist. “This specific route is one of the busiest roads countrywide and this reduction of volumes on the route is thus contributing a safer journey for passenger ve...

Investing, improving and incidents

06 December 2018, Published under Cement News

This month is a round-up of global port news, beginning in India. Penna Cement has begun operations at its terminal and bagging plant at Cochin Port, Kerala. Marking an investment of US$8m, the terminal has a cement capacity of 0.3Mta. The first vessel to call at the new facility was the Penna Suraksha, a self-discharging cement carrier delivering 25,000t from Krishnapatnam Port, according to The Hindu newspaper. The vessel can discharge cement at up to 1000tph and is equipped with a shipunl...

Trade war uncertainty reveals cracks

09 November 2018, Published under Cement News

As discussed in the October issue of ICR, better-than-expected dry bulk rates have dampened the scrapping trend as owners cash in on more buoyant times. According to some observers, however, growing uncertainty surrounding the trade war between the USA and China is starting to reveal cracks with rates beginning to weaken. The Baltic Dry Index (BDI) slumped from 1774 points on 24 July to 1356 on 18 September, its lowest point since June this year. Baltic Dry Index - three months to ...

Freight rates dampen scrapping trend

05 October 2018, Published under Cement News

Better-than-expected dry bulk freight rates have done little to encourage shipowners to scrap  their older vessels, despite warnings of ongoing market volatility due to a lack of scrapping activity. The Baltic Dry Index (BDI) hit 1773 points in the first week of August, compared to 1250 in the opening week of June, making owners increasingly reluctant to ditch their older tonnage. According to a report by Allied Shipbroking, only three dry bulk vessels were scrapped in the latter half of Aug...

Owners urged to scrap older vessels

06 September 2018, Published under Cement News

In the three-month period to 17 July 2018, the Baltic Dry Index (BDI) rose from a low of 1042 points on 30 May to a high of 1695 on 16 July. Baltic Dry Index – three months to 17 July 2018 Khalid Hashim, managing director of Thailand-based Precious Shipping, which operates four cement carriers, has urged shipowners to scrap their older vessels or face continuing volatility. “If scrapping doesn’t accelerate then the BDI will continue to fluctuate sharply solely dependen...

JT Cement adds new vessel to fleet

20 August 2018, Published under Cement News

Norway-based JT Cement has ordered a new pneumatic cement carrier from Dutch shipyard Ferus Smit. The new vessel will be a sistership to the M/V Greenland and is expected to be delivered in July next year. It will have a cargo-carrying capacity of 8000dwt, which is bigger than the Greenland, and a greater LNG tank capacity at 200m3 to improve steaming time. In June this year, NovaAlgoma Cement Carriers (NACC) acquired a 25 per cent share in JT Cement, joining KGT Cement Holdings and Erik ...

Dry bulk on road to recovery?

31 July 2018, Published under Cement News

In the three-month period to 6 June 2018, the Baltic Dry Index (BDI) began at 1212 points before falling steadily to 948 points four weeks later. By 14 May it had climbed to 1476 points, followed by a dip to 1077, before recovering to 1249 points by 6 June.  According to BIMCO, the dry bulk sector appears to be continuing on its road to recovery, as long as demand can stay ahead of fleet growth. Baltic Dry Index – three months to 6 June 2018

Dry bulk overcapacity and trade wars

30 June 2018, Published under Cement News

The last three months have seen a welcome recovery in the Baltic Dry Index (BDI). On 7 February the index stood at 1097 points, before rising a month later to 1212 points. This was followed by a fall to 948 points by 6 April, after which the index picked up again to peak at 1384 points by 5 May. The last year has seen a positive turnaround in the dry bulk market but overcapacity remains an issue. According to analysts, S&P Global Platts, around 30 per cent of the existing dry bulk fleet need...

JT Cement orders 8000dwt cement carrier

13 June 2018, Published under Cement News

Norway’s JT Cement AS has ordered a pneumatic cement carrier from Netherlands-based Ferus Smit, according to Erik Thun AB. The ship will be the sister vessel of M/V Greenland and is scheduled for delivery in July 2019. "The vessel will be an improved version of Greenland but with a somewhat larger cargo carrying capacity at 8000dwt. In addition, we will increase the LNG tank capacity to 200m 3 , improving the steaming time on LNG," stated Erik Thun. The project will be handled by MF Shipp...

Long-term rail freight rates secured for Ramco and Zuari

27 April 2018, Published under Cement News

India’s South Central Railway (SCR) has signed a long-term tariff contract with Ramco Cements Ltd and Zuari Cements Ltd to transport freight traffic at fixed rates, according to The Hindu. Ramco and Zuari signed the agreement to ensure fixed tariff costs for three and five years, respectively.  The scheme has been designed to offer customers stability and the capacity to plan logistics for a longer period. Similar agreements have already been signed with UltraTech Cements, India Cement...