Australia: The CSL Group and Abri have commenced operations of MV Yampu, which they say is the world’s first battery-powered self-unloading bulk carrier. The vessel is 125m long and will transport limestone from Adbri’s Klein Point quarry in South Australia to the company’s Birkenhead plant in Adelaide, a distance of 68km by ship or 240km by road. This will help secure a critical raw material for the supply of locally manufactured cement. The vessel’s batteries are recharged while docked at Adbri’s Birkenhead plant, allowing MV Yampu to operate on battery power around 40% of the time. The vessel is expected to reduce diesel consumption by more than half a million litres per year compared to the vessel it has replaced. It has a capacity of 11,900t and can transport 1.7Mt/yr of limestone. It is designed to operate on 100% battery power in the future.

Kyrgyzstan: Since early 2026, Kyrgyzstan has been consuming approximately 0.7Mt/month of cement. This volume includes both domestic production and imports. The peak in cement demand occurred in April 2026: 702,100t, the highest consumption level in the past 18 months, according to Central Asia News. A decline of 1.5% was observed in May 2026 and 3% was observed in June 2026, compared to April 2026 levels. Domestic production and imports remained largely unchanged from April to June 2026. Production in April was 0.54Mt, compared to 0.51Mt in June, while imports were 0.16Mt and 0.17Mt respectively. The latest data on July production showed growth, but import data will only be available in mid-September 2026.

Japan: Japan-based cement producer Tokuyama has implemented ABB’s advanced process control technologies at its Nanyo plant. ABB’s Ability™ Expert Optimiser has enabled the control, stabilisation and optimisation of processes, including an automatic operation rate exceeding 90% in its finish mills. The company said that, since initial test deployment on one finish mill in 2024, the solution has been delivered and commissioned on another six; four cement ball mills and two vertical mills (pre-grinding and slag). The solution has also improved grinding throughput by 3% and reduced specific power consumption by 3%, while maintaining stable operations.

“When we first introduced ABB’s Ability Expert Optimiser for test purposes, results were clear and the project completed smoothly,” said Junya Doi, an engineer at Tokuyama. “We decided to extend the use of the solution to the entire cement mill process. ABB has been a reliable partner, collaborating effectively to fit the operating schedules. We believe ABB Ability Expert Optimiser has delivered exactly the results we expected.”

Lebanon: Lebanon’s Minister of Industry Joe Issa El-Khoury has ordered an immediate investigation after a cement shipment entered the country through the port of Tripoli, without undergoing inspections required by law, according to Ports Europe news. He said that the case raises questions about how the Institute of Industrial Research, the body responsible for certifying imports, cleared the shipment for release. The body reportedly issued a certificate stating that the goods were not subject to mandatory decree provisions or fell under a small quantity exemption.

Under Decree No. 9766 of March 2023, cement imported into Lebanon must carry an approval certificate confirming compliance with Lebanese standard specifications before it can enter the local market. Issa El-Khoury said that the requirement applies regardless of shipment size and requested that all relevant documents be submitted to the ministry as quickly as possible.