Drummond Faces Fine in Colombia After Allegedly Dumping Coal into Sea
February 6, 2013, 9:57 a.m. ET
Drummond Faces Fine in Colombia After Allegedly Dumping Coal into Sea
By Dan Molinski
BOGOTA--Colombia's second-largest coal exporter, Alabama-based Drummond Co., is facing a fine or other sanctions after it allegedly dumped nearly 1,900 metric tons of coal into the sea to prevent its barge from sinking, an spokesman for the Environment Ministry said Wednesday.
Drummond, which aims to produce more than 30 million metric tons in Colombia this year after producing around 27 million in 2012, appears to have dumped the coal around Jan. 12 near the northern port of Santa Marta, according to port authorities who have been using photographs taken on the day in question as part of their investigation.
Representatives at Drummond have not responded to several phone calls and an email. A Drummond official in Colombia told local media the company doesn't plan to comment until the investigation is complete.
Environment Minister Juan Gabriel Uribe is meeting with officials at the Santa Marta port Wednesday and could announce any fine or other penalty later today or Thursday, his spokesman said by telephone. The spokesman said the company might be cited for not reporting the incident in a timely fashion.
More:
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20130206-708934.html?mod=WSJ_Energy_middleHeadlines
