Vulcan Materials News

U.S. construction materials firm Vulcan Materials Co said on Monday that Mexican security forces illegally took possession last week of its port terminal in southern Mexico, as an extended legal battle over its nearby limestone mining activities plays out.The incident took place last Tuesday night at the terminal in the popular tourist hub of Playa del Carmen, and follows a five-year fight with the government over Vulcan's concessions punctuated by sharp criticism from the country's president last year.Vulcan…

The U.S. Justice Department declined to investigate or prosecute then-Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao after the inspector general’s office referred allegations of potential misuse of office for review, a report made public on Wednesday said.The report included allegations that Chao directed staff to research or purchase personal items for her online using her personal credit card or performed other personal errands for her or her father.The report focused largely on Chao’s actions related to her family’s shipping business…

DuPont awarded third marine scrubber order by Vulica Shipping Co. Ltd. Vulica Shipping Co. Ltd. has selected DuPont Clean Technologies for the supply of a hybrid single-stream scrubber designed by DuPont subsidiary Belco Technologies Corporation (BELCO) to be retrofitted to MV H.A. Sklenar, a self-unloading bulk carrier that operates along the Gulf of Mexico. The vessel is owned by Vulica Shipping Company Ltd., a subsidiary of Vulcan Materials. “We designed the exhaust gas scrubber tower and scrubber system so Vulica could efficiently treat the exhaust gas produced by the main diesel engine on MV H.A. Sklenar,” Garrett Billemeyer, Technology Development manager explained.

Jiangsu Hantong Shipyard Heavy Industry Co. Ltd. has awarded a contract to DuPont Sustainable Solutions for the supply of its DuPont Marine Scrubber systems for two new-build, self-unloading bulk carriers. The scrubber systems were developed by Belco Technologies Corporation (BELCO), a DuPont subsidiary. Vulica Shipping Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of U.S.-based Vulcan Materials, owns the carriers, which will operate throughout the Gulf of Mexico. Each ship will feature one multi-inlet scrubber…

Joseph E. LeBlanc Jr. passed away on June 27, 2014. He was 87 years old. Joe was president of Three Rivers Rock Quarry in Smithland, Ky. (a division of Harbert Construction), Three Rivers Towing, Harcon Barge Lines and Louisiana Limestone during the late 60s and 70s. He also worked later for Luhr Brothers at their St. Genevieve, Mo. Facility and was General Manager for Boyce Machinery in Morgan City, La. for a few years and also worked as a consultant and for NREC in Houma after he retired. Prior to working for Harbert, LeBlanc was employed by Thomson Tractor in Birmingham, Ala.

Vulcan Materials recently repowered 66’ Capt. Ted with a Mitsubishi engine, leading them to reported annual savings of $225,000. At Vulcan, choosing a repower engine for any tug in their fleet is a matter management takes quite seriously. For their recently repowered 66’ Capt. Ted, exhaustive research undertaken by Larry Gravely, Operations Manager, and Lin Dixon, Marine Maintenance Supervisor, paid off big time. The cost-effective and reliable operation of these vessels is the responsibility of Gravely and Dixon.

US company Vulcan Materials christens new tugboat 'Hazel Demery' in honor of nurse with 58 years of company service. The new tugboat for the company's Grand Rivers facility is named for Hazel Demery, a prominent figure in the Grand Rivers community. Mrs. Demery was guest of honor at the christening ceremony held at Vulcan's harbor, which is adjacent to the Kentucky Dam & Locks. Beginning in 1951, Mrs. Demery worked as a nurse for Reed Crushed Stone, which was acquired by Vulcan in 1990. Mrs. Demery continued working for Vulcan until she retired in 2009 with 58 years of service. Darren Hicks, Vulcan's director of human resources – Southern and Gulf Coast Area said, "Hazel's exemplary life has focused on service to our Company, her community, her family and her church.

The US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled that the federal government is immune from a claim of contribution from a vessel owner that alleged negligence on the part of the U.S. Navy in conducting a nighttime training exercise in which a Navy member was killed in a collision with claimant's vessel. The estate of the deceased Navy member filed a wrongful death action against the tug owner. The tug owner sought contribution from the federal government, alleging that the collision between its tug and the rigid-hull inflatable boat (RHIB) of which the deceased was a crewmember was caused in part by the negligence of the Navy personnel who organized and conducted the training exercise.

After a four-day trial, a federal judge ruled on Dec. 18 in favor of the family of Freddie Porter, Jr., a 19-year-old U.S. Navy enlisted seaman from New Jersey who in 2007 was killed when the small craft carrying him was overrun by a tugboat pushing a large flotilla on Virginia's James River. The tug, owned and operated by Vulcan Materials Company, collided with the Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat (RHIB) carrying Porter as he engaged in nighttime military training exercises. The court found the United States Navy 80 percent responsible for Porter's death and Vulcan 20 percent responsible, awarding Porter's family $1,250,000. Attorneys for the victim's family believe the judge's ruling against Vulcan and the Navy will have widespread implications for the nation's tugboat operations in U.S.

Vulcan Materials Company christened the M/V H.A. Sklenar at the company’s Blakely Island sales yard at the Port of Mobile recently. The vessel brings Vulcan’s fleet of Panamax-Class self-unloading vessels to three. The Sklenar and its sister vessels W.H. Blount and Bernardo Quintana, transport high quality limestone aggregates from Vulcan’s Sac Tun quarry on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula to markets along the U.S Gulf Coast, the east coast of Florida and the Caribbean. “We are pleased to honor our former chairman and CEO, Herb Sklenar, by naming our third vessel after him,” said Don James, Vulcan’s chairman and chief executive. James said long-term population growth and market demand in the region are expected to continue to increase at levels above the national average…