Author: admin

FUNDING is still available to assist employees and enterprises within the minerals and resources industries to improve skills and workplace productivity, SkillsDM has said. The nationally-recognised advisory board said that funds were still available from the $20.5 million allocated by the Commonwealth Government to the coal mining, metalliferous mining, quarrying (extractive), drilling and civil infrastructure sectors through the National Workforce Development Fund (NWDF). The NWDF was launched in 2011 to provide $558 million during four years to support training and workforcedevelopment in areas facing skills shortages. According to SkillsDM, the NWDF can provide between 34 per cent and 67 per cent of the cost of delivering nationally-endorsed qualifications and skills sets. The first instalment of the funds was focussed on...

AFTER a poor March 2012 quarter, mineral sands major Iluka Resources has refinanced its debt by entering into $800 million-worth of five-year bilateral revolving credit facilities. The debt restructure replaces a $445 million syndicated term loan facility that was in place. In March 2012, $100 million of that facility had matured, with the remaining $345 million expected to mature next March. “Iluka is pleased to secure expanded debt capacity, with the new facilities recognising Iluka’s enhanced credit quality and favourable growth prospects,” Iluka chief financial officer Alan Tate said. “The new facilities will be available for general corporate purposes and provide flexibility for future investment decision making,” Mr Tate added. The debt restructure comes after Iluka posted a 13 per...

AFTER searching for suitable buyers for its distinctive magnetite-copper direct shipping ore (DSO), IMX Resources has signed a life of mine (LOM) contract with Vingo Resources for the latter to purchase 50 per cent of all ore produced from IMX’s 51 per cent-owned Cairn Hill mine in South Australia. Cairn Hill is a joint venture between IMX (51 per cent) and Taifeng Yuangchuang International Development Company (49 per cent); it produces about 1.7 million tonnes per annum of magnetite-copper DSO. Prior to this latest contract, Taifeng had been purchasing Cairn Hill ore under a LOM arrangement. However, in early January this year, Taifeng advised IMX it would not pay the set price for the 19th shipment of ore and requested...

STRUGGLING gold play Apex Minerals has received support from the Andrew Forrest-led The Metal Group, with the latter agreeing to invest up to $18 million in Apex and provide advice and access to its extensive contact network. The investment will give The Metal Group a 20 per cent stake in the troubled  miner. Previous chief executive officer of iron ore major Fortescue Metals Group, Mr Forrest recently loaned Apex a $4 million short-term debt facility via The Metal Group’s subsidiary AMNL Financing. Apex has been struggling to maintain profitable operations at its flagship Wiluna gold mine 1000km northeast of Perth. During the December 2011 quarter, Apex received an average $1667 per ounce of gold, however its cash operating costs exceeded...

IN its continued support of BHP Billiton’s Mt Arthur coal operations, Liebherr Australia will supply and commission an additional fleet of 18 Ultra Class Liebherr T282C Litronic Plus mining dump trucks for the miner. Further enhancing Mt Arthur’s existing Liebherr truck and excavator fl eets, the latest additions will see the on-site machine population increase to 61 Liebherr Ultra Class trucks, as well as eight R996 excavators and two R994B excavators. The ability of Liebherr Australia to support and to meet stringent noise emission standards is a critical factor in equipment selection, and the optional Liebherr Sound Attenuation Package ensures the Liebherr T282C Litronic Plus Ultra Class trucks deliver the full performance of the 3650HP engine while also achieving today’s...

DURABLE, reliable and versatile, Haulmax offers a range of haulage solutions for off-highway applications. With more than 25 years of research into the haulage industry, Haulmax’s purpose-built range of heavy-duty trucks is ideally suited to mining applications. When mining companies open satellite pits, often more than 10km away from their site’s processing plant and facilities, the cost of hauling materials and moving heavy equipment increases. Built for extended haulage upwards of 50km cycles, the Haulmax 3900 Series truck – specifi cally designed for off-highway haul roads – is an ideal solution. The 3900 Series is built around a complete Caterpillar powertrain, and 95 per cent of the serviceable parts are Caterpillar which makes Haulmax an ideal complement to any Caterpillar...