Gypsum industry news
Oman: Exports of gypsum rose by 29% year-on-year to 3.29Mt in the first five months of 2017 from 2.55Mt in the same period in 2016. The boost in export volumes mainly arose in April and May 2017, according to data from the Oman Gypsum Association. Data from the Department of Primary Industries and Mines (DPIM) in Thailand suggests that gypsum exports have fallen from that country so far in 2017. Omani gypsum producers hope to take advantage of a growing supply deficit in Asian export markets.
Gulf Mining Group planning to build wallboard plant in Salalah
23 January 2017Oman: The Gulf Mining Group is considering building a gypsum wallboard plant in Salalah. The project is part of a portfolio of planned investments scheduled for 2017 and 2018 announced by the company, according to Al-Bawaba News. Other schemes include a potash mine, a calcium carbonate project, a ferro-manganese smelter and a manganese beneficiation facility.
Gypsum producers support minimum export price in Oman
17 January 2017Oman: The chief executives of the major gypsum mining companies have endorsed new regulations issued by the Public Authority for Mining (PAM) calling for a minimum export price for gypsum. The company leaders also agreed to establish the Oman Gypsum Association (OGA), an organisation intended to support the industry, according to the Oman Daily Observer newspaper. The decision follows the intervention by the PAM in December 2016 when it set minimum export freight on board (FOB) price for raw gypsum at US$12.50/t.
Following the intervention, local gypsum exporters are barred from exporting raw gypsum below this price. Those found in breach of this regulation will be denied export permits, while repeat offenders could have their mining licences removed.
Oman: Kunooz Oman Holdings has appointed Scott Watson as its new general manager for Al Rawas Mining Co. Watson is a mining engineer who graduated from the Camborne School of Mines with a BSc in Mining and a master's degree in Business Administration from the University of Ulster in 2006.
Watson has previously worked for four years as a general manager at Yeoman Halsvik, a subsidiary of LafargeHolcim, producing and shipping aggregates to northern European and other offshore markets. Prior to this he was a senior manager at Lagan Group in Ireland, the UK and Poland working on aggregates for road surfaces. He has also worked as a mining engineer with Anglo American Corp in South Africa.
Oman to become major gypsum producer by 2018
18 November 2015Oman: Growing demand for gypsum, mainly from cement and wallboard manufacturers, should see exports from Oman reach 10Mt/yr by 2018, nearly double the present level, making it the fourth largest gypsum producing country, according to industry experts. Gypsum production is expected to hit 12Mt/yr by 2020.
Gypsum exports from Salalah Port rose from 4.15Mt in 2014 to 4.8Mt in the first 10 months of 2015. Exports are expected to reach 5.5Mt for the entire of 2015. Oman is the 10th-largest gypsum producing country in the world and is expected to become the sixth-largest in 2016, according to Zawawi Minerals' CEO Ramachandran. The US Geological Survey has estimated gypsum resources of around 950Mt in the southern part of the country. The gypsum demand growth is mainly from Asian countries like India, Japan, Indonesia, Vietnam and Bangladesh. There was a supply crunch from Thailand, where mineral mining had become heavily-regulated.
Zawawi Minerals partnered with United States Gypsum Corporation in 2012 and with Australia's Boral to launch the largest gypsum mining facility in the country. The US$16m, 3Mt/yr facility exports gypsum rock to India, Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia, Vietnam, South and East Africa, the UAE and Bangladesh. Zawawi Minerals also set up the Middle East's first Sheetrock brand gypsum wallboard plant in the Salalah Free Zone for US$37m. It has a production capacity of 10Mm2.
"Oman has emerged as the single most important source for high grade natural gypsum for cement and gypsum wallboard manufacturers across Asia and South and East Africa. With higher production and little significant change in domestic consumption, Oman may continue to export the majority of its gypsum," said Ramachandran.
USG Boral starts local gypsum wallboard production
06 November 2015Oman: USG Boral Middle East has started manufacturing its Sheetrock wallboard brand and wall solutions at its production unit in Salalah, Oman.
The local production will cater to its customers in the Gulf and the wider Middle East region. USG Boral Zawawi Drywall is the first to produce the Sheetrock brand in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
"Here in the Gulf region and around the world, our focus is on delivering innovation that helps our customers work smarter, do more and build better projects," said Fares Saghbini, the Managing Director at USG Boral Middle East. "That is exactly what the launch of our locally-produced Sheetrock brand wallboard products in the GCC enables us to do. We are delighted to bring our manufacturing facility and premium products closer to our customers without compromising on quality, dependability and, most importantly, the safety standards upon which Sheetrock's reputation has been built."
USG's Sheetrock production line in Oman has been fully certified by UL to produce fire rated products and will continue to undergo quarterly inspections according to UL's standards testing for quality, uniformity and safety including fire resistance.
Omani new rail network to increase gypsum exports significantly
22 September 2015Oman: As the Omani national rail network currently under development connects mining sites with the Sultanate's maritime gateways, gypsum exports and other minerals will increase massively.
Oman Rail's general manager stressed that the switch from outdated truck-based shipping of minerals to rail-based freight, along with the deployment of high-capacity ship-loading systems, has the potential to send export volumes soaring. A 60,000t ship can take around 4 - 6 days to load using traditional transportation and loading techniques, so with the new system the goal is to advance that significantly by using high capacity methods of loading.
As the rail network becomes fully operational, the transportation capacity is expected to increase from an approximately 10 – 12Mt/yr to nearly 20Mt/yr.
Oman: USG Zawawi Drywall SFZ 's US$37m state-of-the-art gypsum plant in Oman's Salalah Free Zone (SFZ) was inaugurated on 6 May 2015 marking the formal start of commercial production of a range of Sheetrock brand gypsum wallboard products earmarked primarily for export across the Middle East and Indian subcontinent. USG Zawawi Drywall SFZ is a 50:50 partnership between USG Corporation, Boral and Zawawi Minerals.
"We are pleased to see the opening of this successful US-Omani venture. Building relations between the US and Oman is a top priority of the US Embassy and this work is a shining example of the strategic coordination that benefits both our countries," said Ann Mason, economic-commercial officer from the US Embassy. "We applaud USG Boral and Zawawi Minerals for taking full advantage of the potential of Salalah Port and Free Zone and the US Oman Free Trade Agreement."
Commissioning of the Salalah plant, which has 8Mm2/yr of gypsum wallboard production capacity, began in March 2015. It was designed to enable future expansion to double wallboard production capacity or add new products like construction plaster. The plant will produce a wide range of Sheetrock gypsum boards, including products resistant to water, fire, sound, impact and mould. According to Curt Loring, general manager of USG Zawawi Drywall SFZ, it will produce products with special certifications not currently manufactured or available in the GCC. These products are specially engineered for custom wall systems in demand by architects for commercial construction.
The products will be marketed across the Gulf and Indian Subcontinent. Uptake is expected to be robust around the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), where a commercial construction boom is already underway. The raw gypsum is sourced entirely from a major gypsum quarry located in the Thamrait area of Dhofar Governorate. The quarry is operated by Zawawi Gypsum and is jointly-owned by USG-Boral and Zawawi Minerals.
"USG Zawawi Drywall's investment is in keeping with the Omani government's economic policies advocating the sustainable commercialisation of natural resources to diversify the economy, create employment for Omanis and facilitate inflows of investment and know-how. The Salalah facility operates to the same stringent safety and environmental standards applied by USG at its facilities in the US," said Alawi Al Zawawi, chairman of USG Zawawi Drywall SFZ.
Awadh Al Shanfari, CEO of Salalah Free Zone explained that the project is a re-enforcement of the Free Zone's commitment to maximise the Sultanate's mineral wealth through national and foreign partnership. "In the past, we have been focusing on projects that can create new industries linked to the available raw materials in the Sultanate. As a result of our endeavours, we will be announcing more investments during 2015," said Al Shanfari.
India's UltraTech acquires 51% stake in Oman's Awam Minerals
04 November 2014India/Oman: UltraTech Cement Middle East Investments, a wholly owned subsidiary of India's UltraTech Cement, has acquired a majority stake (51%) in Omani gypsum mining firm Awam Minerals LLC.
Awam Minerals has a license to mine substantial gypsum deposits in the south of Oman. It's gypsum mining license will serve as a captive mine for the network of cement plants owned by UltraTech Cement in India, two grinding units and a cement plant in the UAE, as well as a grinding unit in Bahrain through its Middle East subsidiary.
Zawawi Gypsum starts exports from Salalah
21 March 2014Oman: Zawawi Gypsum has loaded its first export consignment of gypsum from the port of Salalah. The vessel loaded 66,000Mt of gypsum destined for India. A press release said that the company expects exports to increase to 2Mt/yr within the next three years.
''This shipment is the beginning of a long-term relationship between the port and our company. This relationship will grow stronger when our facility in the free zone commences exports through the port. Salalah, with its proximity to the main trade lanes and direct main line connectivity to our export destination was the ideal location for our facility in Oman,'' said Ramachandran, CEO of Zawawi Minerals.
Zawawi Minerals has created two joint ventures with USG Corporation, Zawawi Gypsum and Zawawi Drywall. Zawawi Drywall is building a 8MM2/yr gypsum wallboard plant. The US$37m plant is expected to be opened in early 2015. It will target growing markets in the Middle East, India and East Africa.