Новости за 09.04.2020

Following a “depressed and opportunistic” time for its diamonds at its fifth sales cycle of this year, LSE-listed Petra Diamonds has chosen to only sell a portion of its South African goods, representing about 75% by volume, and about 50% by value. The remaining goods were exported to Antwerp and of these, about 75% were subsequently sold at the company’s Antwerp marketing office, the London-listed diamond miner said on April 9.

Insurance firms have started covering charter flights to carry gold, helping to ease logjams in the bullion supply chain that caused prices to diverge sharply in different markets, the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) said on Thursday. Gold is usually moved between countries in the holds of passenger planes but most flights around the world have been grounded by measures to control the spread of the coronavirus.

Aim-listed Premier African Minerals has entered into a secured $200 000 loan agreement and related subscription agreement with a company owned by a trust of which CEO George Roach is a beneficiary. The proceeds of the new loan will be used to support ongoing development and provide additional general working capital for the company, which owns the RHA Tungsten and Zulu lithium and tantalum projects, in Zimbabwe.

Diversified mining and marketing company Glencore on Thursday announced the launch of a $25-million fund in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The fund will support the London- and Johannesburg-listed company’s teams that are working closely with governments, health agencies and others key responders in more than 35 countries and at 189 sites to identify their needs and provide the most effective response possible.

Chrome and platinum group metals (PGM) mining company Tharisa has received government permission to continue operating with a reduced number of personnel during the Covid-19 lockdown. Revealing this with its release on Thursday of second-quarter results for the three months to March 31, Tharisa reported that following the government greenlight, production on a reduced basis had been steady since Monday, April 6.

Ratings agency Moody’s Investors Service already had negative outlooks for steel industries across the world, largely based on weak fundamentals in 2019, but the Covid-19 outbreak has made conditions worse and prompted the agency to cut the outlook for steel industries further. Moody’s says the coronavirus outbreak exacerbates the already challenging operating environment for steelmakers around the world. The broad macroeconomic weakness spreading in the wake of the pandemic is driving down demand... Читать дальше...

JSE-listed coal miner Wescoal will make use of the two-month extension period afforded to listed companies for reporting on their results for the year-ends to December 31, 2019; and January 31, February 29 and March 31, this year. Wescoal motivates that while every effort is being made to ensure business continuity, the controls and protocols that have been implemented to ensure the health of staff are likely to have a pervasive impact on the company, particularly relating to its financial reporting timelines.

London-listed potash developer Emmerson started this year with a great deal of purpose, making progress on its feasibility study and a clear plan for the future to further de-risk the Khemisset project, in Morocco. Following a rigorous site selection trade-off study, the company has selected two sites for mining, a preferred site and a secondary site, both of which provide a great result for the project in terms of access to local infrastructure, lower decline costs and optimum locations for the process plant.

The Voisey’s Bay mine, in Labrador, Canada, will remain on care-and-maintenance for up to another three months, because of the coronavirus, Brazilian major Vale reported on Thursday. On March 16, Vale announced a four-week care-and-maintenance period at Voisey's Bay mine, owing to the unique remoteness of the area and as a precaution to help protect the health and well-being of Nunatsiavut and Innu indigenous communities in Labrador in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Australia-based miner MMG Ltd has declared force majeure on supplies from Las Bambas copper mine in Peru, two sources from smelters told Reuters on Thursday. MMG, owned by China Minmetals, has given notice to customers on their force majeure due to the lockdown in Peru to contain the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus, the sources said.

Takeover target Stanmore Coal has reported another solid quarter during the three months to March, with run-of-mine (ROM) coal production reaching 813 000 t. The March quarterly ROM production was down 6% on the 864 000 t produced in the previous quarter, but up by 7% on the previous corresponding period.

Satellite imaging of remote mining operations can be used to track and visually represent surface changes, ranging from the areal extent of surface operations, surface water, surface disturbances and the addition or removal of surface infrastructure – a vital component of mining management amid Covid-19-related travel restrictions being put in place by a growing number of countries around the world. The outbreak of Covid-19 has led to most countries imposing travel bans, travel restrictions and quarantine measures on its citizens... Читать дальше...

Chile state copper miner Codelco, the world´s largest, said on Wednesday its production continued in line with its plans despite the measures it has implemented to stave off the spread of coronavirus at its operations. The company told Reuters in an email that it had also met 100% of its sales targets, even as many of its top customers, including China, have seen industry shuttered by the virus. Elsewhere in Chile, some private copper miners have considered cutting production, Reuters reported last week... Читать дальше...

The petroleum division of mining major BHP is implementing emergency measures to support cash flow to suppliers during the Covid-19 pandemic. The miner on Thursday said that it would be making immediate payments of outstanding invoices and move to seven-day payment terms for the next six months for small and local businesses that support BHP’s Petroleum business. This is a reduction from the current payment terms and covers over 200 suppliers. The revised payment term arrangements will take effect in the week starting April 13.

Metals miner Red River Resources has reported record copper production during the March quarter, along with increased zinc and lead production. The ASX-listed miner told shareholders that mine production and mill throughput improved significantly in the quarter ending March resulting in increased metal productions.

Lithium miner Orocobre has restarted production at its Olaroz and Boraz operations, in Argentina, after the government declared the operations at ‘essential’ activities. However, on-site operations for the Stage 2 expansion of Olaroz remain suspended. Operations were suspended in March after the Argentinian government instituted a national mandatory quarantine to combat the spread of Covid-19.

Junior Marenica Energy will raise A$1-million after receiving binding commitments for a placement to professional and sophisticated investors. The ASX-listed company will place 26.35-million shares, at a price of 3.8c each and 26.35-million free attaching options over two tranches. The first tranche will consist of more than 13.15-million shares and will be issued under the company’s existing capacity, while the balance of the shares will be placed in the second tranche, subject to shareholder approval.