McInnis Cement Announces Plans for New Cement Ship

Stamford, August 9, 2016 – McInnis Cement, the New Cement Company, announced today its plans to utilize a first of its kind, ecologically efficient, self-discharging dry bulk cement carrier. The 15,000 deadweight ton vessel will be time chartered by the company under a long-term agreement. The ship, which was built in 2011, is currently undergoing conversion in China to a cement carrier by its owner NovaAlgoma Cement Carriers Limited. The conversion will include the installation of a state-of-the-art cement unloading system delivered by Van Aalst Marine & Offshore, as well as, a hybrid exhaust gas scrubber system capable of operating in both fresh and salt waters.

“We are pleased to establish this new relationship with NovaAlgoma and Van Aalst that will allow us to take advantage of their cutting edge technology, attention to ecological details and their long-term marine transportation and cargo handling expertise”, said McInnis Cement Vice President Logistics and Distribution, Mark Newhart. He noted that the anticipated delivery of the vessel is scheduled for early 2017.

“Developing a modern state of the art cement carrier for McInnis Cement is a very exciting project for NovaAlgoma and builds upon our objective to operate the most modern and technologically advanced cement carriers in the world. The ship will be Canadian flagged, employing Canadian sailors”; added Wayne Smith on behalf of NovaAlgoma.

Wijnand van Aalst, CEO of Van Aalst Group commented: “The McInnis project will be a showcase of how the Van Aalst signature vacuum – pressure technology in cement carriers will result into high performance, low emissions and an unsurpassed reliability. The productive and professional partnership approach between McInnis, NovaAlgoma and ourselves has proven to be very successful in achieving and exceeding the requirements of the project.”

The scrubber system will enable the ship to be fully compliant with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Marpol Annex VI Sulphur Oxide (SOx) regulations, regardless of the fuel being used within the North American ECA (emissions control area) which includes Canadian and US coastal waters and the Great Lakes.

The time charter agreement for the ship was brokered by Barry Rogliano Salles (BRS Group), a diversified global shipping services group offering a range of maritime activities. The company’s core business is ship brokering and has been active for over 150 years, operating 20 offices worldwide.

About NovaAlgoma Cement Carriers

NovaAlgoma is a 50/50 joint venture between Algoma Central Corporation and Nova Marine Holding SA of Luxemburg dedicated to building a global fleet of modern cement carriers to support infrastructure projects worldwide.

About Van Aalst Marine & Offshore

Van Aalst Marine & Offshore specializes in (bulk) cement handling equipment on vessels and barges. With more than 850 vessels outfitted, Van Aalst is the world’s leading company in this market. Van Aalst Marine & Offshore is part of the Van Aalst Group.

About McInnis Cement – The New Cement Company

McInnis Cement is a privately-held company with corporate headquarters in Quebec, Canada, and United States headquarters in Stamford, CT. The company’s plant in Port-Daniel–Gascons, Canada is one of the largest industrial projects currently under construction in eastern North America and McInnis is the first cement company to build a new plant that will serve Eastern Canada and New England in more than 50 years. McInnis Cement is constructing a deep-water marine terminal, adjacent to the plant, with plans to open other terminals strategically located in the U.S. and Canada. This will allow products to be shipped quickly and efficiently to markets along the East Coast and the entire perimeter of the Atlantic Ocean.

As the newest entrant in the North American cement market, the company’s goal is to supply its customers with superior-quality products that are consistently produced and reliably distributed, based on sustainable development principles. The use of advanced technology will enable the McInnis cement plant to meet, if not exceed, the most stringent environmental standards, making its ecological footprint one of the smallest in the cement industry. More information is available at @ciment_mcinnis and mcinniscement.com/en.

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Source:

Maryse Tremblay

Director of Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility

McInnis Cement

418 391-7525

CONTACT NovaAlgoma –

Wayne Smith

(905) 687-7898

management@novaalgomacc.com

CONTACT Van Aalst Marine & Offshore B.V. –

Sharmila Kristalijn

Sales Manager

sk@vanaalstgroup.com