July 29, 2015
“I have always been critical of the coal companies because of the impact they cause, but you always have to go to the source, countercheck things, and I see that [Drummond] has good processes. There are improvements on some topics that ultimately benefit all of us. They benefit the community and their aim is to improve the quality of life for all residents, and for there to be integration between the Company and the community”,Said Jacobo Solano, columnist for El Pilón.
As a sequence of workshops for journalists carried out by Drummond Ltd. and aimed at the Cesar media, a tour of the Company’s mining and port area was carried out with journalists from Valledupar and the municipalities near the area of mining influence . This in order to better understand the operation of one of the main sources of the regional and national economy.
The tour started very early on Friday with the support and presence of journalists from different media outlets, including Guatapurí, El Pilón Vallenato, RCN Radio Valledupar, El Tiempo, El País Vallenato, La Voz de La Jagua, Calentura Stereo, and the Circle of Journalists of Valledupar, among others.
While touring the mining operations the journalists saw the Paujil reservoir. It drew the journalists’ attention as the water reservoir has become an ecosystem inhabited by various species of flora and fauna. The Paujil’s inhabitants include a large number of black-bellied whistling ducks, capybaras and fish, among other species, which is evidence of the coexistence of nature and Drummond Ltd. as a sustainable company.
The group also toured the Ramp 7 Lookout where they had a visual perspective of the entire operation and the coal mining machinery. They saw the High Wall Miner, a machine that has improved the mining method through efficiency and productivity. In addition they toured the Dispatchlookout, from which the storage yards and train loading areas can be seen. They also saw the areas that are undergoing the replanting process that the Company has implemented, and they visited the Food Production Center.
After experiencing the coal exploration and extraction processes, the group went to Puerto Drummond, located in Ciénaga – Magdalena. Here they learned and observed the work that precedes the exportation of coal including the loading and unloading of train operations, the fresh water pool (flora and fauna reservoir) and our modern, world-class direct loading system for ships.
“This has been a very rewarding visit. It is the first time I’ve been to the Port. I had already been to the mine, but I think it was necessary to complement the entire coal mining operation with the transportation and international shipping operation. What I’ve seen so far impresses me by its organization, logistics and industrial safety. The operation can be called a pioneer in Colombia and in Latin America”,said Andrés Molina, Director of Radio Guatapurí.
This tour created an opportunity for journalists and the media to become aware of the socially responsible processes that Drummond Ltd carries out. The company is committed to strengthening the communities and the environmental surroundings and to generate development in the regions where it is located.
