Displaying items by tag: Import

Global: Cement and clinker shipments rose by 13% year-on-year between January and November 2025, supported by a 39% increase in deliveries to Africa’s Atlantic coast, according to World Cargo News. BIMCO shipping analysis manager Filipe Gouveia attributed the growth to ‘strong economic growth, rapid urbanisation and significant infrastructure development’ across the region, which is largely import-dependent due to limited domestic clinker production capacity.

“Clinker capacity is particularly limited; although grinding facilities exist, manufacturers still rely on imported clinker, sustaining bulk shipments,” said Gouveia.

Beyond Africa, cement exports increased across East and Southeast Asia and the west coasts of Central and South America, while clinker volumes remained broadly stable. Asian producers, particularly China and Vietnam, have boosted low-priced exports amid overcapacity and weak demand.

“Chinese seaborne exports have more than doubled, up by 135% year-on-year, as domestic construction activity declines amid the country’s property crisis,” said Gouveia. “Vietnamese exports have grown by 16% year-on-year, maintaining Vietnam’s position as the world’s largest exporter with a 27% share of global shipments.”

The US, the world’s largest importer, saw only a 3% rise in shipments, despite recent tariff hikes. Gouveia said that imports from Vietnam and Türkiye have risen by 27% and 14% respectively, despite tariff increases, noting that US clinker production fell by 7% year-on-year from January-July 2025. Gouveia concluded that the global outlook for cement and clinker shipments remains positive, with African demand and intense price competition supporting trade, but cautioned that US building permits fell by 5% year-on-year between January-August 2025, indicating that US demand could slow in the short term.

Egypt: A total of 243,000t of imported coal is set to be received at Egyptian ports during the week of 12 December 2025 for use by cement companies, according to data from the Maritime Transport Sector. East Port Said will receive 150,000t of coal aboard the Seacon Oceania for the National Cement Company of Beni Suef. Alexandria Port will receive 57,800t of coal for El Sewedy Cement, while Dekheila Port is scheduled to receive 55,000t of petcoke from Spain for Assiut Cement.

The shipments reportedly support a broader strategy to increase domestic cement production and boost exports. The first shipment of 20,000t of calcined petcoke was exported through Adabiya Port, with an export value of US$2m.

Zimbabwe: Industry and Commerce Minister Mangaliso Ndlovu said that national cement supplies will significantly improve following the US$20m rehabilitation and restart of Khayah Cement’s clinker kiln, which resumed operations in early December 2025 after 26 months of inactivity. He said the resumption is a major intervention to meet national cement demand, which had been disrupted by a combination of issues including a breakdown at PPC’s Harare plant, scheduled maintenance at Sino Cement in Kwekwe, and delays at the border for clinker imports coming from Zambia. The Minister warned that while import permits were initially issued to stabilise prices, abuse of the system through unjustified price increases would not be tolerated and permits would not be renewed.

While PPC has returned to full production, clinker shortages persist, with two newly opened grinding plants in Hwange and Mashonaland West already closed due to lack of clinker. Ndlovu confirmed that discussions are underway to build a new grinding plant as a national strategic investment, which he said would cost between US$150m and US$200m.

US: Total shipments of Portland and blended cement, including imports, reached an estimated 9.99Mt in July 2025, up by 7% from July 2024. Year-to-date shipments totalled 57.0Mt, down by 3% from the same period in 2024. Texas, Missouri, California, Florida and Alabama were the top cement-producing states. Texas, California, Florida, Ohio and North Carolina together accounted for 38% of total shipments.

Clinker production in July 2025 totalled 6.64Mt, nearly unchanged from July 2024. Cumulative clinker output for January to July 2025 fell by 7% year-on-year to 37.5Mt. Missouri, California, Texas, Florida and Alabama produced the most clinker.

Syria: The General Company for Cement and Building Materials (Omran) has launched a new product, Pozzolanic Cement 42.5 – CEM II, at its plant in the Sheikh Saeed district of Aleppo.

Director general Mahmoud Fadila said the product is the first industrial product to enter the Syrian market since the area’s liberation, calling it a ‘significant step’ toward restoring production capacity and industrial independence. The new cement product is expected to reduce reliance on lower-quality imports.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Cimenterie Kongo (CIMKO) plans to invest over US$300m to expand its cement production capacity from 1.4Mt/yr to 3Mt/yr by 2027. The joint venture between the Rawji Group and Lucky Cement has operated a plant in Songololo, Kongo-Central province since 2018. The investment responds to growing demand from public and private construction and aims to reduce imports and stabilise prices. According to the Central Bank of the Congo, cement consumption reached 2.55Mt in 2023, while local production totalled 2.3Mt, with the shortfall covered by imports.

Other producers are also expanding. China-based WIH Cement plans to raise its capacity to 2.2Mt/yr by 2027, while the Chinese consortium Avic-Conch has partnered with the Congolese government to restart the National Cement plant in Kimpese, Kongo-Central.

The government banned grey cement and clinker imports in the southeast and southwest in July 2024 to support the domestic industry. However, in October 2025, Foreign Trade Minister Julien Paluku ordered an investigation into illegal imports from Nigeria’s Dangote Cement that were reportedly still entering the country due to rising prices of local cement.

Syria: The country is relying on Iraq and nearby countries for fuel and clinker imports to operate its cement plants amid an ongoing fuel oil shortage, according to General Company for Cement and Building Materials head Mahmoud Fadila.

Fadila told state media that plants have shifted to coal temporarily and are importing clinker from Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye to maintain local supply. Syria currently produces 10,000t/day of cement, or 3.6Mt/yr, far short of the 8-9Mt/yr needed for reconstruction.

In October 2025, Damascus approved a major investment from Iraq’s Vertex Group to rehabilitate and expand the third line at the Hama Cement Plant. The project will raise its capacity from 3300t/day to 11,000t/day with the addition of a new 6000t/day line.

El Salvador: Cement demand rose by 22% year-on-year between January and August 2025 to 34.3 million 42.5kg bags, up from 28.1 million bags in the same period in 2024, according to data from the Central Reserve Bank (BCR). In August 2025, demand was 3.9 million bags, up from 3.5 million in August 2024. Director of the Planning Office of the Metropolitan Area of San Salvador (OPAMSS) Luis Rodríguez said “The main concrete companies are about to expand their distribution capacity.”

Holcim executive director for El Salvador and Nicaragua Manuel Arrieta said “We are seeing a 20% increase in our sales this year in volume. We have never produced as much as we did in the second half of the year and we foresee super-strong construction for the future, so we hope that next year we will be able to break a new record.”

Holcim operates two plants in Metapán and reported sales of more than 1.2Mt of cement in 2025. It has reportedly invested nearly US$80m over the past five years in expansion and sustainable technology. Cement imports also rose, with 614 million kg of hydraulic cements entering the country between January and October 2025. Guatemala was the top source at 193.2 million kg, followed by Vietnam and Japan. Total imports were valued at US$51.6m.

Rodríguez said that cement volumes, in addition to other construction materials, have increased by 60% through the port of Acajutla. Over five producers and importers now compete in El Salvador’s cement market.

Pakistan: Since the closure of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border on 11 October 2025, Afghan coal imports and cement exports have been halted, raising prices and prompting northern cement producers to shift to coal imports from South Africa, Indonesia and Mozambique. The move follows rising tensions between the two countries, with the cement sector among the most affected.

A manufacturer said Afghan coal is no longer available and ruled out using Iran as an alternative route due to the lack of banking channels and the impracticality of transporting coal. It said Afghanistan accounts for about 7% of Pakistan’s cement exports. Topline Securities reported that DG Khan Cement will continue using imported coal, while some producers have begun importing RB2 grade.

Insight Research has reported that Cherat Cement, Fauji Cement and Maple Leaf Cement are among the most exposed, with Afghan exports accounting for 9.8%, 5.8% and 3.1% of their sales, respectively.

US: Cement import capacity is continuing to rise despite a slowdown in demand and growing uncertainty over tariffs, according to a report by Argus Media. Cement supplier Ozinga initially expected  demand would bounce back after the November 2024 presidential election. CEO Marty Ozinga said “Then the Liberation Day thing happened. I think that really put a pause to a lot of projects, just enough to make it very disappointing for most of the year,” referring to the tariffs rolled out in April 2025.

Tariffs have increased costs for importers by US$5-10/t, said On Field Investment Research managing partner Yassine Touahri. Market analyst Ed Sullivan forecasts cement consumption falling by 5% in 2025 and dropping by a further 0.2% in 2026, hitting a low of 100Mt. He said longer-term growth is still possible, citing a potential market size of 140Mt by 2050 if past per capita consumption rates return.

With mortgage rates above 6% and affordability at record lows, residential construction is expected to remain weak. Sullivan said that industry utilisation is running at 76%, below the 80% that producers ‘would like to see’, and he expects imports to hit a bottom at 17Mt in 2026, despite new import capacity coming online.

"On the import side, capacity additions are not slowing down at all", even though demand for additional imports is much less certain than it was three to five years ago, LEK Consulting managing director Olivier Asset said.