New Orleans-Marine Inspection and Logistics and Maritime & Commodity Services have announced plans to merge their cargo surveying divisions. Marine Inspection intends to officially launch the new independent entity, Marine Inspection LLC (MIL), on Jan. 1, 2009. MIL’s management team will operate from New Orleans, New Jersey, and Rotterdam, with key offices in Mobile, San Diego, Savannah, Istanbul, Kuala Lumpur, and Beijing. Strategically important locations also include Tuscaloosa and Decatur, Ala., along with Darrow, La. MIL will focus on expanding its surveying, inspection, and testing business to the international commodity trading community. MIL will be co-managed by Robert Drew, Gilbert Wright (tel. 504-866-0014), John Monticello (tel. 732-899-0500), and Ivo Dolk (tel. +31-10-246-0955).
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N.M. permit no longer needed, Helena claims
Collierville, Tenn.-Helena Chemical Co., at odds with New Mexico state regulators over a $279,000 fine being assessed for 11 emissions violations at its Mesquite, N.M., fertilizer warehouse, claims independent monitoring has found the facility well within guidelines and no longer requires an air quality permit, “We’ve submitted a notice of intention (to the New Mexico Environment Department) seeking to operate the building without a permit,” Helena Director of Regulatory Compliance Ed Brister told Green Markets. Brister reported that data provided by a firm he described as widely recognized as experts in this field indicate emissions on a per hour basis 72 percent below the limit required by NMED and 51 percent below those limits on an annual basis. He also cited a separate study of fugitive dust that found particulate matter well below EPA standards. State Environment Secy. Ron Curry responded that managers of Helena cannot decide whether they need a permit. “We determine that,” Curry asserted. “This baseless and audacious announcement is a waste of state resources. Helena is a flagrant violator of state and federal air quality laws and must be brought into compliance.” NMED Environmental Protection Division Director Jim Norton dismissed Helena’s “so-called monitoring” as being done without oversight from the state, based on data from one site the company monitored, and not representative of Helena’s impacts on the community. “Our air quality permits are determined by emissions,” Norton asserted. “Helena emits pollutants that are in excess of thresholds that require a permit under state regulations. We refute Helena’s claim that air emissions at their facility are below the threshold.” Brister attributed part of the problem to misperceptions of what actually is going on at the facility, which blends, stores, and distributes mostly dry and some liquid fertilizers. “There are no smoke stacks spewing out toxic emissions,” he emphasized. “We don’t manufacture anything, but bring in and sell directly to farmers in lower New Mexico.” Still, he continued, Helena has become the focus of interest with both the community and NMED since it took over the facility in 1989. Brister said one of the reasons Helena sought an air quality permit from the state was to provide assurances to neighbors about the safety of the operations. Helena officials also scheduled a tour of the plant and a community meeting last week to explain their side of environmental issues.
Chemtrade sulfuric acid plant delayed
Toronto-Chemtrade Logistics Income Fund said Oct. 3 that its Beaumont, Texas, regeneration/sulfuric acid plant is expected to be back online by late 2008. The plant was shut down following an explosion in the plant’s furnace on Aug. 21, 2008. It has taken longer than anticipated to submit and receive permits from regulatory authorities for the rebuilding work, which will delay the mid-November restart previously indicated. “Efforts to complete the permitting process are in progress, but are taking longer than we expected,” said Mark Davis, Chemtrade president and CEO. “We have begun repairs to the facility wherever feasible and are ready to begin further work once permitting has been completed. Despite not producing at Beaumont, we maintain our second quarter guidance that distributable cash for the 12 months ending June 30, 2009 should be substantially similar to the 12 month period ended June 30, 2008, or about $2.15 per unit.” Davis said that Chemtrade will provide a further update on Beaumont and other operations when it announces its third quarter results in early November.
Another hearing added for nitrogen plant
Pocatello-Due to heightened public interest in Southeast Idaho Energy’s proposed nitrogen fertilizer plant that will use coal gasification technology near American Falls, the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality has scheduled an additional public information meeting and public hearing for 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 20, respectively, at the Pocatello City Council chambers. IDEQ recently conducted public meetings at Pocatello, American Falls, and Fort Hall regarding the $1 billion Power County Advanced Energy Center. IDEQ has determined that the plant’s operation under a proposed permit will not cause or contribute to violations of ambient air quality standards, nor harm nor affect human or animal life or local vegetation. Southeast Idaho Energy is a subsidiary of Refined Energy Holdings of New York. During a Sept. 22 meeting, IDEQ officials said the plant’s operations shouldn’t exceed air quality standards for several controlled emissions, including particulates, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur dioxide, but it will release significant amounts of carbon dioxide, which is not regulated as a pollutant. The project will produce up to 500 tons per day of anhydrous ammonia, up to 1,800 TPD of granular urea, up to 1,600 TPD of a urea ammonium nitrate solution, and up to 500 TPD of sulfuric acid. SIE has decided against producing diesel fuel or generating electricity at the site as originally planned.
Rentech, LSB see benefits from bail-out bill
Los Angeles and Oklahoma City-Rentech Inc., which owns nitrogen producer Rentech Energy Midwest Corp., and LSB Industries Inc., which owns nitrogen producer El Dorado Chemical Co., say their other businesses will benefit from the recently passed bail-out bill. Rentech said that the inclusion of several tax provisions in the Emergency Stabilization Act will greatly benefit Rentech’s efforts in domestic alternative fuels production. Likewise, LSB says tax credits will benefit its ClimateMaster subsidiary by encouraging the purchase of residential and non-residential geothermal heat pumps.
Mosaic announces dividend
Plymouth, Minn.-The Mosaic Co. on Oct. 9 announced that its board of directors declared a quarterly dividend of $0.05 per share on the company’s common stock. The dividend will be paid on Nov. 20, 2008, to stockholders of record as of the close of business on Nov. 6, 2008. Mosaic noted that the declaration and payment of any future dividends is subject to approval by the board, and there is no assurance such dividends will be declared.
Bateman wins sulfuric acid construction contract
Amsterdam-Bateman Engineering reports that it has been awarded a contract for the construction of the sulfuric acid facilities at the Ambatovy nickel project in Madagascar. The US$36 million fixed-price, lump-sum contract covers the erection and commissioning up to handover for the hot commissioning of two 2,750 mt/d sulfur burning acid plants. This construction contract follows the award, in August 2007, of a US$100 million contract from the Ambatovy nickel project for engineering of and procurement for the plants. The process engineering during this phase was undertaken in collaboration with the Canadian technology company Noram Engineering and Constructors Ltd., who are the holders of the acid plant process technology, and with whom Bateman Engineering has entered into a long-term technology license agreement. The 5,500 mt/d per day facility will comprise a shared sulfur melting and storage area and two independent sulfur burning acid plants. Construction and commissioning of the first acid plant is due to be completed by the end of September 2009, with completion of the second acid plant expected by the end of December 2009.
SGS acquires South African business
Geneva-SGS SA reports that it has acquired the soil, leaf, fertilizer, and water testing activities of CAL, based in Cape Town, South Africa. Previously part of the Astral Foods Group, the business is a leader in the precision agriculture sector in South Africa. This acquisition strengthens SGS capacity and capabilities in Southern Africa and complements other recent acquisitions in the precision farming sector, including the Alvey Group in the USA, acquired earlier this year. “This acquisition is part of our strategy to penetrate the growing area of sustainable farming” said Chris Kirk, SGS CEO. The CAL laboratory has revenues in excess of ZAR 7.5 million and 14 employees.
Potash One not deterred by financial crisis
Vancouver-Potash One Inc. said Oct. 7 that it remains committed to the rapid development of the Legacy Project despite the world financial crisis. The company reiterated that the fundamentals for a greenfield potash solution mining opportunity in Saskatchewan continue to be strong. It said that the solution mining approach to potash production provides many benefits, not the least of which are lower capital cost to production, shorter timeline to production, and significantly reduced technical risk in mining when compared to conventional potash mining techniques. It added that the company has sufficient funds to meet its corporate objectives for 2008 and 2009. Potash One said it is building a world-class technical team for the development of the project.
Copperco looks at Aussie rock potential
Perth-Copperco Ltd. said Oct. 7 that it is investigating the expansion of its exploration and development activity to include rock phosphate assets, including several historically defined phosphate occurrences within the Lady Annie Copper Project tenement package. CopperCo has also acquired – through the merger with Mineral Securities Ltd. – a large grassroots tenement package within the Georgina Basin that is highly prospective for phosphate. Lady Annie mine infrastructure is located close to known phosphate occurrences and may provide a platform to fast-track development of any phosphate resource that proves economic. CopperCo owns a 100 percent interest in historically defined rock phosphate prospects located adjacent to its Lady Annie Copper Mine and SX-EW operation in Queensland, and also has extensive exploration areas in Queensland and the Northern Territory prospective for new phosphate discoveries.