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AS more companies investigate mining opportunities in West Africa, they are finding that operating in the region presents a new realm of risk management considerations. International SOS can assist companies in managing security and medical risks, which are often intertwined. Mining companies operating in Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea and Mauritania have recently had to activate their emergency response and site security plans following political and social unrest, to the point where site evacuations have occurred. Clear and robust emergency plans are only effective when they are underpinned by formal security updates, travel advisories and pre-determined risk ratings. Clear processes for deciding when to go into lock-down or when to begin evacuations are imperative to ensure the safety of staff and the...

BUILT for durability and performance, Acromet’s dry material handling equipment, such as bulk bag unloaders and screw feeders, is renowned for its versatility. The bulk bag unloaders are an alternative to large storage silos, which can be excessive, and small bags, which are becoming increasingly hard to handle. These units typically place a 1t to 2t bulk bag onto a support dish with an opening to pull the bottom discharge spout through. The product then drops into a chamber/hopper where it can be conveyed either pneumatically or mechanically. Key features of the units include an optional massaging system for the products; suitability for either a bottom-spout or no-spout discharge; adaptability to a dust extraction system; the ability to be placed...

EVERY now and then, a product will emerge on the market yielding a far better result than any other available substitute. The Xcentric Ripper, a machine attachment which uses a different approach to breaking rock, shale, asphalt and concrete, is one such product. Its success lies in the way the tooth innovatively attacks the rock in a vibrating circular motion as opposed to traditional hydraulic hammers that just repeatedly belt into the rock. The Xcentric Ripper is driven by a high-speed hydraulic mechanism that transfers force to the tine via sturdy mechanical arms. It is a machine of elegant simplicity and high effi ciency; allowing much higher productivity, minimum downtime and maintenance, and reduced noise levels. The Xcentric Ripper won...

THE southern hemisphere’s largest annual construction and infrastructure exhibition, CIVENEX will be held on May 16 and 17 this year at Sydney Dragway, Eastern Creek. The annual event was established more than 50 years ago by the NSW division of the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australia (IPWEA) to provide an industry exhibition and forum for public and private sector engineers and contractors. Known then as Engineers Field Days, CIVENEX began with eight companies displaying their equipment on the grounds of The Spastic Centre in Allambie Heights. For the duration of the initial CIVENEX, the exhibitors volunteered their equipment and services to assist in the facility’s expansion, at no charge to The Spastic Centre. Since then, CIVENEX has been held...

SINCE its establishment in 1989, Centennial Coal has grown to become Australia’s largest independent coal company, supplying thermal and coking coal to domestic and export markets. A subsidiary of Banpu Public Company, Asia’s largest independent coal group, Centennial is one of the largest underground coal producers in NSW. It is a major supplier to the state’s energy industry, fuelling about 46 per cent of NSW’s coal-fired electricity from 12 mines: Springvale, Angus Place, Lamberts Gully, Charbon, Ivanhoe North, Clarence, Mandalong, Awaba, Newstan, Myuna, Mannering and Airly. Springvale and Angus Place The Springvale colliery is managed by Springvale Coal on behalf of its owners: joint venture (JV) partners Centennial Springvale (a Centennial Coal subsidiary) and Springvale SK Kores. Underground longwall mining...

AFTER a tough couple of years, Navigator Resources is anticipating positive cash flow from June onwards as it hits higher-grade ore at its flagship Bronzewing gold mine in WA’s Eastern Goldfields. The ore at the Cockburn pit, which Navigator has focussed on for the past year, lies beneath about 60m of mostly waste cover so until recently, mining entailed stripping the waste to expose the ore body, which improves in grade with increasing depth. Navigator progressed down to higher-grade ore during the March 2012 quarter, and is expecting to be reaping profits for the next few years. The company has evolved several times since it started out. Looking back to its debut on the ASX in September 2003, Navigator was...

DESPITE spending the best part of a decade on care and maintenance, Boddington gold mine is now a contender for the title of Australia’s largest producing gold mine, having produced its 1 millionth ounce of gold. Wholly-owned by US gold miner Newmont Mining, the large open cut mining operation recommenced operations in 2009, following a multi-million dollar construction and expansion project. Within the Saddleback Greenstone Belt, in an Archaean structure it the southwestern Yilgarn Craton in WA, 130km southeast of Perth, the mine is estimated to have a mine life of 20 years from re-opening, with a production target of 1 million tonnes per annum. When the Boddington mine began operations in 1987, it was held in joint venture by...

HEAVY rare earth element (HREE) explorer and developer Northern Minerals has announced a completed share placement that raised $10 million to fund exploration and the further development of its projects in northern Australia. The placement incorporated 22.727 million fully-paid shares at an issue price of $0.44 each, which ranks equally with existing Northern Minerals ordinary shares quoted on the ASX. Northern Minerals managing director George Bauk said the funds raised would be used to continue work at the Browns Range and John Galt HREE projects, as well as for working capital. “A priority will be the diamond drilling for targets at the Wolverine and Gambit prospects , which we expect to commence in May, as well as the...

  WA resource companies have lifted Deloitte’s WA Index, with the total market capitalisation (cap) of all stocks growing by 2 per cent to $128 billion despite a short-term downward slide. Deloitte’s latest report on WA stocks revealed coal-focussed Aquila Resource was the biggest mover of all the miners, with its market cap up 30 per cent to $177 million for the month of February. Mining service companies such as Imdex and Tutt Bryant also posted gains to their market caps, with Imdex up 33 per cent to $42.4 million and Tutt Bryant up 30.2 per cent to $43 million. “In February, commodity market prices rose across the board, with uranium prices leading the way with an 18 per cent...