LKAB raises deposit estimate at Europe’s biggest rare earth find

Reuters | June 12, 2023 |

The town and mine of Kiruna, Sweden. Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Swedish mining company LKAB on Monday raised by a quarter its estimate of the size of deposits of rare earth oxides in the Kiruna area of northern Sweden, already Europe’s biggest discovery of minerals key to green technologies like electric motors.


Resources at the Per Geijer deposit, which is rich in elements used to make permanent magnets, are now estimated at 1.3 million tonnes, up from an earlier estimate of more than 1 million, LKAB said.

“In January Per Geijer was already the biggest known deposit in Europe in terms of those materials,” LKAB CEO Jan Mostrom said. “We have raised the volume by around 25%.”

LKAB said it would now submit an application for a processing concession which will give it exclusive rights to develop the deposit. LKAB will still need an environmental permit and other regulatory approvals before it can start commercial operations.

The European Commission wants to speed up the development of new mines like Per Geijer to end its dependence for exotic minerals like dysprosium, praseodymium and neodymium on China.

Electrification of industry and transport away from fossil fuels is seen as critical to fighting climate change.

“If we are going to get near our targets for 2030, 2035, 2045, we are going to have to have enormous amounts of these materials,” Mostrom said.

LKAB warned In January that it could take 10-15 years before mining started at Per Geijer due to the complicated permitting process in Sweden.

But Mostrom said the European Union’s proposed Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) could be a game-changer.

“If the Per Geijer deposit is deemed a strategic project, it will go considerably faster,” he said.

The CRMA sets a target for 10% of the EU’s annual consumption of critical minerals to be mined within the bloc by 2030. It also states that strategically important projects should get extraction permits within 24 months.

Sweden, with a long history of mining, has huge mineral resources, but has only given the go-ahead to a handful of new mines over the last 20 years.

It currently has 12 operating mines.

(By Simon Johnson; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)

Barrick paves the way for reintroduction of white rhino to DRC's Garamba park

16 white rhinos have been successfully reintroduced to the Garamba National Park in the northeast of the DRC.

The rhinos were sourced from the &Beyond Phinda Private Game Reserve in Kwazulu

Natal, South Africa

Their translocation was achieved in collaboration with the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature, the Congolese government and African Parks.


13th June 2023
By: Creamer Media Reporter

An initiative begun by Barrick president and CE Mark Bristow almost 13 years ago has come to fruition with the successful reintroduction of 16 white rhinos to the Garamba National Park in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the species was last seen in 2006.

Following more than a decade of dedicated action and support, an environment has been created where they can exist safely. The rhino arrived by aircraft from South Africa last week and have now been released in the park where professional staff and qualified veterinarians will regularly monitor their acclimatisation.


NYSE- and TSX-listed Barrick Gold was the lead donor in the translocation as part of its long-standing partnership with African Parks and Garamba National Park, Africa’s oldest wildlife park and a Unesco World Heritage Site. To date, Barrick has provided more than $2.5-million for tracking collars, fuel for observation planes, rescue and rehabilitation programmes, as well as improvements to critical infrastructure such as roads and bridges.

The rhinos were sourced from the &Beyond Phinda Private Game Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, and their translocation was achieved in collaboration with the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature, the Congolese government and African Parks.


Garamba was one of the last strongholds of the now extinct wild northern white rhino. The introduction of the near-threatened southern sub-species not only promotes the long-term conservation of rhino in Africa by extending their range, but also creates another breeding node for the species in a safe environment.

Since African Parks assumed management of Garamba in 2005, there has been a significant decrease in poaching and most wildlife species found there are showing positive population increases, thanks largely to the development of alternative socio-economic initiatives in and around the park. Additionally, rhino have historically played an important role in regulating the structure and functioning of the park’s ecosystem, creating and maintaining grazing lawns that support other fauna and flora and provide important ecosystem services.

Bristow says Barrick’s continued support for Garamba is based on the company’s holistic approach to sustainability.

“Conserving biodiversity is fundamental to planetary survival, essential to tackling climate change and has an important role to play in the war on poverty. We strive not only to preserve and maintain biodiversity within our permits but to partner with NGOs and other organizations, such as African Parks and Garamba, to protect and restore critical biodiversity in some of the world’s most precious places,” he says.

Barrick’s successful group-wide biodiversity strategy places importance on protecting areas with high conservation value.

It is very important to understand the relationship between the natural environment and the communities that depend on it. Garamba is one of the biggest employers in the region, with over 500 full-time staff and hundreds more employees on contract, including law enforcement teams and dedicated community personnel. The park also supports more than 9 000 community members in entrepreneurial enterprises including beekeeping, fish and poultry farming as well as four hospitals with a capacity of 12 000 patients. 

Edited by Creamer Media Reporter

Billionaire Forrest calls Musk a ‘muppet’ over fuel cell doubts

Bloomberg News | June 13, 2023 

Andrew Forrest, Australian billionaire and Chief Executive Officer of Fortescue. (Credit: Fortescue Metals Group)

Andrew Forrest, the Australian billionaire betting much of the fortune he made in iron-ore mining on green power, said doubters of hydrogen fuel-cell technology are “muppets.” That includes Elon Musk.


“Anyone, including Elon, including, you know, whoever you like, who says hydrogen hasn’t got a massive future are muppets,” Forrest said in an on-stage interview at the Bloomberg New Economy Gateway Africa forum in Marrakesh, Morocco, on Tuesday. “Battery and fuel cells are the way of the world in the future.”



Musk, the world’s richest person and founder of electric-carmaker Tesla Inc., has previously described hydrogen fuel-cell technology as “the most dumb thing I could possibly imagine for energy storage.”

While Musk uses lithium-battery technology in Tesla vehicles, Forrest is focusing on using green energy including solar to produce hydrogen, which is then stored and used to power fuel cells in the auto and other industries. The 61-year-old is the founder, chairman and biggest shareholder in Perth-based Fortescue Metals Group Ltd.

Tesla didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment sent by email.

(By Matthew Hill, with assistance from Sarah Muller)

SASKATCHEWAN
CanAlaska to start drilling at Geikie uranium project

By MINING.COM Staff 

 June 13, 2023

Waterbury South is one of several uranium projects CanAlaska holds in the Athabasca Basin in Saskatchewan. Credit: CanAlaska

CanAlaska Uranium (TSX-V: CVV) (OTCQX: CVVUF) has begun mobilizing its field team, drill crew and equipment to it’s 60%-owned Geikie uranium project in Canada’s Athabasca Basin, an area that currently supplies about 20% of the world's uranium.

The program, the company said, will be focused on testing shallow, high-priority targets that have been compiled from recent high-resolution airborne radiometric, magnetic, and electromagnetic surveys in combination with prospecting, structural mapping and historical data review.

The initial drill program is planned for 2,000 metres, consisting of eight drill holes with proposed depths around 250 metres each.

“From inception of the project through to this first drilling program, the Company has been diligent with its methodical approach to exploration and developing very high-quality targets for testing,” chief executive officer Cory Belyk said in the statement.

CanAlaska will initially focus on a 15-km-long area with three high-priority targets: Preston Creek, Hourglass Lake and Aero Lake.

The Vancouver-based company holds interests in about 300,000 hectares (750,000 acres) located in the eastern Athabasca Basin. The miner is working with Cameco and Denison at two of the its properties in the Eastern Athabasca Basin.

It also holds properties prospective for nickel, copper, gold and diamonds.

Canada is the world’s second-largest uranium producer as well as one of the few offering reactor technology and related services.

Fireweed Metals Names its Mactung Project Largest High-Grade Tungsten Deposit in the World

by Sarah Vega - Content Writer, The Assay


Mactung drilling map showing the vertical projection of open-pit inferred and indicated Resources, conceptual pit outline, and location of cross-sections.

Fireweed Metals (TSXV: FWZ | OTC: FWEDF) has released a new mineral resource estimate (MRE) for its Mactung tungsten project in the Yukon and Northwest Territories of Canada.

Mactung’s MRE included a total of 41.5Mt of indicated resource grading at 0.73% tungsten trioxide (WO3) and an inferred resource of 12.2Mt at 0.59% WO3. The deposit also contains copper and gold byproducts with a total breakdown of its indicated resource at 12.2Mt grading 0.058% Cu and 0.078g/t Au.

“In one year, we have gone from signing an initial Letter of Intent to a Definitive Asset Purchase Agreement to the publication of new mineral resource for Mactung,” commented Fireweed CEO Brandon Macdonald.

“We have taken the historic resource through a process involving relogging, resampling, and a rigorous, modern estimation methodology, and confirmed an impressive and world-class tungsten resource at Mactung*.”

Mactung was originally discovered and staked in 1962, where it passed through many owners until 1997 when North American Tungsten acquired it. The project was given the environmental go-ahead in 2014, but the following year, North American was granted creditor protection (related to its Cantung mine to the south), and the territory purchased the property for C$4.5M. Earlier this year, Fireweed purchased the project for C$15M in a staged arrangement.

The project neighbors Fireweed’s Macmillan Pass zinc-lead-silver project camp and airstrip and provides opportunities for future project collaboration. In addition, the recent MRE has identified an exploration target and is estimated at 2.5Mt to 3.5Mt grading between 0.4% – 0.6% WO3, within the mineral resource.

“This not only reaffirms Mactung’s unmatched combination of grade and scale but establishes it as a truly strategic critical minerals project for the West with the underground resource alone able to supply much of North America’s expected demand for decades.” Macdonald added.

For further information, please visit: www.fireweedmetals.com

*: References to relative size and grade of the Mactung mineral resources and Macmillan Pass mineral resources in comparison to other tungsten and zinc deposits elsewhere in the world, respectively, are based on review of the S&P’s Global Market Intelligence Capital IQ database.

COMMODITY FETISH 

Salavador Dali Brooch Sells for $982,000

June 14, 23 by John Jeffay

(IDEX Online) - A starfish brooch designed by Salvador Dali and featuring cultured pearl of diamonds, rubies, and emeralds sold for $982,000.

It was the highest price ever paid at auction for a piece of jewelry by the Spanish surrealist artist.

The Etoile de Mer belonged to socialite Rebekah Harkness, who is referenced in Taylor Swift's 2020 song The Last Great American Dynasty.

Swift paid $17m for the Rhode Island mansion in New England, USA, where Harkness (1915-1982) infuriated neighbors with her loud parties.

She founded her own ballet company and had Dali paint backdrops for her.

He designed the Étoile de Mer for her in 1949 and had it made by Carlos Alemany, the surrealist jeweler with whom he worked.

The brooch, complete with two attachable butterfly enhancements, made with diamonds, sapphires and emeralds, sold last week at Christie's New York below its $1m to $1.5m estimate.

Pic courtesy Christie's

 

NWT 

More Kimberlite Found at Gahcho Kue Mine

June 15, 23 by John Jeffay

(IDEX Online) - Mountain Province Diamonds says it has discovered additional kimberlite at the Gahcho Kue mine, in Canada's Northwest Territories.

The Toronto-based miner says a kimberlite exposure was identified during routine mining operations in 2021. Drilling programs the following year indicated a significant volume of previously unknown kimberlite could exist.

Ten of 11 drillholes this year have intersected kimberlite at the mine's Hearne Northwest Extension.

"We are actively engaged with our operating partner De Beers to look at ways to recover this deeper kimberlite by underground mining," said Mark Wall, Mountain Province's president and CEO. "We will consider further drilling if the detailed work on this hole continues to return positive results."

The Gahcho Kue joint venture consists of several kimberlites that are actively being mined, developed, and explored for future development.

Commercial production at the mine began in March 2017 and has an estimated 12-year life.

Pic courtesy Mountain Province Diamonds

Mountain Province Diamonds Returns 40-Metre Kimberlite Intercept, 40 metres from known Tuzo Resource, Positive Drilling Results from the Hearne Kimberlite at the Gahcho Kué Mine



NEWS PROVIDED BY

Mountain Province Diamonds Inc.

12 Jun, 2023, 17:01 ET


TSX: MPVD

TORONTO, June 12, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Mountain Province Diamonds Inc. ("Mountain Province", the "Company") (TSX: MPVD) announces the discovery of additional kimberlite, approximately 40 metres to the northeast of the modeled Tuzo kimberlite. In addition, the drilling of the Hearne Deep and the Northwest Extension has seen multiple intercepts of up to 287 metres of kimberlite.

Hearne Drill Summary - Plan View (CNW Group/Mountain Province Diamonds Inc.)

Hearne Drilling Summary - Elevation View (CNW Group/Mountain Province Diamonds Inc.)

Tuzo Drill hole hits Kimberlite 40 metres from known resource (CNW Group/Mountain Province Diamonds Inc.)

The Hearne Northwest Extension was identified in late 2021 when a kimberlite exposure (25 meters across) was encountered in a lower bench face during routine mining operations. Drilling programs in 2022 indicated that a significant volume of previously unknown kimberlite could exist, with ten of sixteen drillholes reported kimberlite intersections up to 114 meters in the extension (see news releases, July 18 and November 30, 2022). In the 2023 program ten of eleven drillholes collared within and outside of the Hearne pit have intersected kimberlite with the longest intersection being 287 meters.

Mark Wall, the Company's President and Chief Executive Officer commented:

"These latest results at Hearne confirm that a significant volume of kimberlite exists in the Northwest Extension. Combined with our earlier results, we now have 21 drillholes that define the extension below the final pit and to the northwest. We are actively engaged with our operating partner De Beers to look at ways to recover this deeper kimberlite by underground mining."

In the present program, seven drillholes were collared outside of the pit and four were collared on kimberlite within the pit to test the width and depth of the extension respectively. A summary of the latest drilling results is provided below.

The drillhole locations and traces for this phase of drilling are shown as red lines in the images  with previous drill traces shown as gray lines. Drillholes within the pit are shown as red circles. Insets show the shape of Hearne prior to discovery of the extension. The internal geology of Hearne is shown with blue indicating hypabyssal kimberlite (HK/HKt) and yellow and green indicating fragmental kimberlite (TK/TKt). The modeled outer contacts and internal geology for the Northwest Extension are speculative at this time and will be adjusted as the results of detailed logging and analysis are received.

Following on the discovery and delineation of the Hearne Northwest Extension, drilling to look for a similar extension has been started at Tuzo. Limited historical drilling at Tuzo has confirmed kimberlite to a vertical depth of over 700 meters.

Based on the northeast-directed downward ramping of the 5034 kimberlite and its proximity to Tuzo, a single drillhole was collared east of Tuzo to test for a northeast extension. The image below shows the relationship of drillhole MPV-23-632C to the 5034, Tuzo and Wilson kimberlites.

Drillhole MPV-23-632C intersected TKt/HKt kimberlite from 669.77-710.00 meters, and is located roughly 40 meters northeast of the Tuzo kimberlite. The kimberlite phase in Tuzo that is nearest to the intersect is modeled also as TKt (shown in yellow in the image). Logging and mineral chemistry of the drill core is underway to confirm whether it is similar in detail to Tuzo.
Mark Wall, the Company's President and Chief Executive Officer commented:

"While the drilling for Tuzo is early stage and is still underway, we are encouraged by the width of the kimberlite intersection and its similarities to Tuzo based on initial logging. We and our partner De Beers will consider further drilling if the detailed work on this hole continues to return positive results."
About the Company

Mountain Province Diamonds is a 49% participant with De Beers Canada in the Gahcho Kué diamond mine located in Canada's Northwest Territories. The Gahcho Kué Joint Venture consists of several kimberlites that are actively being mined, developed, and explored for future development. The Company also controls over 113,000 hectares of highly prospective mineral claims and leases surrounding the Gahcho Kué Mine that include an Indicated mineral resource for the Kelvin kimberlite and Inferred mineral resources for the Faraday kimberlites. Kelvin is estimated to contain 13.62 million carats (Mct) in 8.50 million tonnes (Mt) at a grade of 1.60 carats/tonne and value of US$63/carat. Faraday 2 is estimated to contain 5.45Mct in 2.07Mt at a grade of 2.63 carats/tonne and value of US$140/ct. Faraday 1-3 is estimated to contain 1.90Mct in 1.87Mt at a grade of 1.04 carats/tonne and value of US$75/carat. All resource estimations are based on a 1mm diamond size bottom cut-off.

For further information on Mountain Province Diamonds and to receive news releases by email, visit the Company's website at www.mountainprovince.com.

Qualified Person

The disclosure in this news release of scientific and technical information regarding Mountain Province's mineral properties has been reviewed and approved by Matthew MacPhail, P.Eng., MBA, and Tom E. McCandless, Ph.D., P.Geo., both employees of Mountain Province Diamonds and Qualified Persons as defined by National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.
Caution Regarding Forward Looking Information

This news release contains certain "forward-looking statements" and "forward-looking information" under applicable Canadian and United States securities laws concerning the business, operations and financial performance and condition of Mountain Province Diamonds Inc. Forward-looking statements and forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to operational hazards, including possible disruption due to pandemic such as COVID-19, its impact on travel, self-isolation protocols and business and operations, estimated production and mine life of the project of Mountain Province; the realization of mineral reserve estimates; the timing and amount of estimated future production; costs of production; the future price of diamonds; the estimation of mineral reserves and resources; the ability to manage debt; capital expenditures; the ability to obtain permits for operations; liquidity; tax rates; and currency exchange rate fluctuations. Except for statements of historical fact relating to Mountain Province, certain information contained herein constitutes forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "anticipates," "may," "can," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "expects," "projects," "targets," "intends," "likely," "will," "should," "to be", "potential" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may", "should" or "will" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made, and are based on a number of assumptions and subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Many of these assumptions are based on factors and events that are not within the control of Mountain Province and there is no assurance they will prove to be correct.

Factors that could cause actual results to vary materially from results anticipated by such forward-looking statements include the development of operation hazards which could arise in relation to COVID-19, including, but not limited to protocols which may be adopted to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and any impact of such protocols on Mountain Province's business and operations, variations in ore grade or recovery rates, changes in market conditions, changes in project parameters, mine sequencing; production rates; cash flow; risks relating to the availability and timeliness of permitting and governmental approvals; supply of, and demand for, diamonds; fluctuating commodity prices and currency exchange rates, the possibility of project cost overruns or unanticipated costs and expenses, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry, failure of plant, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated.

These factors are discussed in greater detail in Mountain Province's most recent Annual Information Form and in the most recent MD&A filed on SEDAR, which also provide additional general assumptions in connection with these statements. Mountain Province cautions that the foregoing list of important factors is not exhaustive. Investors and others who base themselves on forward-looking statements should carefully consider the above factors as well as the uncertainties they represent and the risk they entail. Mountain Province believes that the expectations reflected in those forward-looking statements are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking statements included in this news release should not be unduly relied upon. These statements speak only as of the date of this news release.

Although Mountain Province has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Mountain Province undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change except as required by applicable securities laws. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Statements concerning mineral reserve and resource estimates may also be deemed to constitute forward-looking statements to the extent they involve estimates of the mineralization that will be encountered as the property is developed.

Further, Mountain Province may make changes to its business plans that could affect its results. The principal assets of Mountain Province are administered pursuant to a joint venture under which Mountain Province is not the operator. Mountain Province is exposed to actions taken or omissions made by the operator within its prerogative and/or determinations made by the joint venture under its terms. Such actions or omissions may impact the future performance of Mountain Province. Under its current note and revolving credit facilities Mountain Province is subject to certain limitations on its ability to pay dividends on common stock. The declaration of dividends is at the discretion of Mountain Province's Board of Directors, subject to the limitations under the Company's debt facilities, and will depend on Mountain Province's financial results, cash requirements, future prospects, and other factors deemed relevant by the Board

SOURCE Mountain Province Diamonds Inc.

Hecla Mining fined for hazardous waste management at silver mine in Alaska

Reuters | June 14, 2023 

Greens Creek mine in southeast Alaska is one of the world’s largest and lowest-cost primary silver mines. (Image courtesy of Hecla Mining.)

Hecla Mining Co was fined $143,124 for violating hazardous waste management and disposal requirements under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said on Wednesday.


The violation occurred at Hecla’s Greens Creek Mine in Alaska, which is the largest silver mine in the United States and accounts for more than half of the company’s silver production.

A 2019 inspection by the EPA found Hecla was disposing hazardous waste containing lead without a permit and failed to conduct weekly inspection of the storage area.

Hecla’s violations also included “failure to determine if waste from mining operations was hazardous” and “failure to properly label a used oil container”.

“The company operates in a relatively remote and pristine area in Alaska, underscoring their obligation to prevent pollution from entering public lands surrounding the mine,” said Ed Kowalski, director at EPA Region 10 Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance in a statement.

Hecla did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

(By Arshreet Singh; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri)

Striking Newmont miners have funds to extend Mexico stoppage

Bloomberg News | June 14, 2023 | 

Peñasquito operations (Photo: Goldcorp).

Workers at Mexico’s biggest gold mine have plenty of funds available to extend a strike as a dispute with owner Newmont Corp. enters a second week, a union official said Tuesday.


About 2,000 unionized workers at the Penasquito mine downed tools last week over a dispute regarding a profit-sharing agreement and alleged contract breaches, said Jorge Ramon Monsivais, labor secretary of the Sindicato Minero union.


The strike marks the third labor dispute since Newmont bought Penasquito from Goldcorp Inc in 2019. The mine, about 480 miles northwest of Mexico City, is Newmont’s third-largest by sales. It brought in $2.8 billion in sales in 2022, down 17% from the prior year because production lagged.

Striking workers at Penasquito have a so-called “resistance fund” to prolong the strike and would receive the support of associated members if those funds were to run out, Monsivais said. “They’re willing to continue the movement until this is cleared up,” he said in an interview.

Newmont shares were little changed at 10 a.m. in New York, as most gold-producing peers rose along with bullion prices.

UBS estimates Newmont’s earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization would decrease 3.6% in the second quarter if the suspension lasts for one month.

Even though the mine directly and indirectly employs 5,000 people, production has been suspended with a skeleton crew performing only basic tasks, Monsivais said.

While Newmont said workers are pushing for an increase in profit-sharing from an agreed 10% to 20%, Monsivais said demands are centered around a clarification on how the plan is calculated rather than a percentage increase. The union also alleges contractual breaches related to overtime payments and safety.

The mine is a major producer of silver and also churns out lead and zinc in addition to gold. According to Newmont’s latest quarterly report, output fell 38% in the first quarter.

“The company reiterates its interest in finding a solution that allows for the end of the strike, benefiting all parties involved,” Newmont said in a statement late Tuesday. “The company invites the union to engage in constructive dialogue and provides authorities with all requested information.”

(By James Attwood and Jacob Lorinc, with assistance from Alex Vasquez)

Newmont suspends operations at Peñasquito mine in Mexico

Reuters | June 8, 2023 | 

Peñasquito mine in Mexico. Image: Goldcorp via Flickr.

Newmont has suspended operations at its Peñasquito mine in Mexico in response to a labor strike notice, the gold miner said on Thursday.


On June 7, the National Union of Mine and Metal Workers of the Mexican Republic notified Newmont of a strike action demanding an increase in the profit-sharing benefit provided for in the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) from 10% to 20%, the company said.

The New York Stock Exchange had halted trading of Newmont’s shares briefly before the strike action.

In July last year, the company had reached an agreement to pay its represented workforce a profit-sharing bonus up to 10%.

The mine had an annual attributable gold production of 686,000 ounces in 2021.

The union did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Newmont added it remains willing to participate in conciliation meetings to reach a resolution in accordance with the CBA.

(By Ankit Kumar and Niket Nishant; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri)

 

Photos: Gibraltar Refloats Stern Section of Wrecked OS 35 Bulker

Stern section of the OS 35 has been refloated in preparation for its removal (Photos courtesy Government of Gibraltar)

PUBLISHED JUN 16, 2023 12:07 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

The Gibraltar Port Authority is reporting that a milestone was reached yesterday, June 15, in the salvage efforts for the bulker OS 35 that sunk more than nine months ago after hitting a gas carrier in the anchorage at the entrance to Gibraltar’s harbor. The salvage operation is entering its final phase to remove the two sections of the bulker that broke apart earlier this year during storms.

Lifting operations began on June 10 and yesterday the captain of the port said they were able to raise the stern section of the vessel out of the water. The process had called for reversing a controlling sinking they conducted in October 2022 to stabilize the wreck and prevent further damage to the environment. After ensuring the stern was watertight, they began to restore buoyancy.

 

 

“Progress continues to be made despite the challenging conditions of the wreck and work will continue to further stabilize the stern section,” reports John Ghio, the Captain of the Port. Once the stern is stabilized, they plan to place it on a semi-submersible platform ship, which can be seen standing by in the photos released today.

The second phase of the operation calls for the lifting of the bow section using cranes. The forward portion of the vessel was damaged when it hit the gas carrier and sustained additional damage due to storms. Once it is lifted onto the platform ship both pieces will be sent for recycling.

 

 

 “Works continue to progress at a safe and steady pace,” they said in the update. Previously, the port captain said weather and other conditions at the wreck site would dictate the timeline for this phase of the salvage operation. The government had set a deadline of the end of May for the removal, but later extended it after the weather had slowed the preparations for the salvage.

Separately, the master of the OS 35 made his second court appearance on Thursday in a Gibraltar court. The Magistrates’ Court decided yesterday not to impose additional penalties for the pollution charges and the oil damage to an antiquities site. Captain Abdelabari Kaddura, a Syrian national age 53, had previously pleaded guilty to charges related to the accident and was given a four-month suspended sentence. According to the reports, he has been released and is now free to travel home after having been detained in Gibraltar since the incident in August 2022.