JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – JSE-listed Petmin has signed a five-year agreement to export up to 600 000 t/y of metallurgical anthracite from Grindrod’s Kusasa dry bulk terminal in Richards Bay, KwaZulu-Natal.

The agreement, which is effective from February 1, allocates 45 000 t of exclusive stockpile and an indicated vessel loading rate of 12 000 t/d to Petmin.

It would also award the company the capacity to ship its expanded anthracite production from the Somkhele mine, 85 km north of Richards Bay. Petmin is increasing the mine’s output from 535 000 sales tons a year to more than 1.2-million tons a year.

Somkhele produces anthracite with low phosphorous and sulphur, and high vitrinite content for the South African ferroalloy industry and for export to iron-ore pelletizing and sintering markets mainly in Brazil.

The company stated that long-term sales contracts with domestic and international customers were in place.

The Grindrod facility replaces Petmin’s previous throughput arrangements at Richards Bay.
 

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