Pacific Cement Limited (PCL) is currently paying a penalty fee of $11,000 per day starting from last Sunday, April 23.

The payment is made to the cargo vessel Maipo River which is currently unloading 27,000 tons clinker.

PCL spokesman Mr Sowani Tuidrola confirmed that the clinker belonged to them and was supposed to be offloaded within seven days of the cargo vessel’s arrival into the country.

He said because of some unforeseen circumstances, the unloading started on Sunday.

“On Sunday about 674 tons of clinker was offloaded,” he said.

The company he said they had to pay the penalty fee until the offloading was completed.

He said the demand for cement in the country was huge and it was their responsibility to produce cement to cater for the demand.

According to Wikipedia Portland cement clinker is a dark grey nodular material made by heating ground limestone and clay at a temperature of about 1400 °C – 1500 °C. The nodules are ground up to a fine powder to produce cement, with a small amount of gypsum added to control the setting properties.

Mr Tuidrola said a company called RPA was responsible for the unloading of clinker off Lami Bay.

The barge used was able to carry seven vehicles but was just carrying five and one could carry 20 tons of clinker.

He said they had not received any confirmation on the number of days the unloading would finish.

However he said they would be paying the penalty fee until the cargo vessel left the country.