Monday, March 21, 2011

AFRICA: EGYPT: Suez Cement counts cost of unrest



Suez Cement (SUCE.CA: Quote) (SUCEq.L: Quote), Egypt's biggest listed cement maker by market value, said the political unrest that ousted Hosni Mubarak cost it and a subsidiary 80 million Egyptian pounds ($13.5 million).

"The firm lost a total of nine days during the events of the months of January and February 2011, while the company's estimated total losses were 30 million pounds due to the interruptions," it said in a statement on Sunday.

Suez said its 99-percent owned Helwan Cement unit lost another 50 million pounds after its plants stopped operations for 16 days.

The firm, a subsidiary of Italcementi (ITAI.MI: Quote), said it will pay a 3.90 pound per share cash dividend after its 2010 net profits declined 4.9 percent to 1.2 billion pounds. [ID:nLDE72F1TE] [ID:nWEB1472]

Suez has about 26 percent of Egypt's grey cement market and 42 percent of its white cement market. ($1=5.931 Egyptian Pound) (Reporting by Sarah Mikhail; Editing by Patrick Werr and Alexander Smith)

No comments: