OREANDA-NEWS. Colombia's Puerto Bolivar coal terminal has restarted loadings, after a local authority temporarily suspended activity at the port on 27-30 August.

Regional environmental authority Corpoguajira authorised Colombia's largest coal mining firm Cerrejon to resume coal loadings at the terminal yesterday, after verifying that the company cleaned dust from nearby areas and submitted an environmental plan outlining how it will mitigate dust emissions in future.

The port restarted loading operations at 18:30 local time (23:30 GMT) yesterday, according to maritime authority Dimar's La Guajira regional director German Rojas.

Panamax ship the CSL Tarantau entered the port after being logged slightly north of Puerto Bolivar yesterday, vessel tracking data show. At least four further ships — including two Panamax vessels and two Capesize vessels — were waiting outside the terminal as of 12:30 BST (11:30 GMT).

Cerrejon has committed to cleaning coal dust in affected areas more frequently, installing a greater number of water sprinkling systems to reduce dust at coal storage areas, and building a net to control the dispersion of coal particles in the future, the company said.

Corpoguajira had suspended coal loadings at the port and coal transportation along the company's railway on 27 August, after detecting coal dust near the terminal. The authority mandated that Cerrejon should clean nearby areas and submit an environmental plan outlining how it will mitigate dust emissions in future, in a bid to prevent further damage to the local environment.