VANCOUVER (miningweekly.com) – Rambler Metals and Mining has met or exceeded most of its production targets for the 2016 fiscal year ended July 31 at its flagship Ming mine, in Newfoundland and Labrador.

While copper concentrate grades at 26.9% fell just short of the lower end of its targeted 27% to 29% guidance, gold and silver grades came in significantly above plan.

London, England-based Rambler reported 17 048 dry tonnes produced in the year, which contains 4 580 t of copper, 7 549 oz gold and 53 830 oz silver.

Rambler hit its targets for tonnes milled, as well as for metal recovery and grades. Gold ounces exceeded guidance by 16%, a record for gold-in-concentrate production, stemming from adjustments made to the flotation circuit in the first half of the year. During the second half of the fiscal year, more focus was placed on increasing mill throughput. Once throughput is fully optimised, the team will work towards re-establishing the higher gold recoveries.

Rambler reported gold ounces exceeding guidance by 16%, a record for gold-in-concentrate production and the result of adjustments made to the flotation circuit in the first half of the year. During the second half of the year more focus was on increasing mill throughput. Once throughput is fully optimised, the team will work towards re-establishing the higher gold recoveries, Rambler said.

Average recoveries to concentrate for the 12 months totalled 95.6% for copper, 68.7% for gold and 71.8% for silver, with a concentrate grade of 26.9%, 13.8 g/t and 98.1 g/t for copper, gold and silver, respectively.

At the Ming mine, grades of 2.12% copper and 1.4 g/t gold were in line with guidance. The total mill throughput for the year was 241 080 dry metric tonnes, a 12% improvement over the 216 000 t milled in fiscal 2015.

For the fourth quarter, lower copper head grades resulted in a 9% reduction to 4 108 t of copper concentrate over the prior period. However, dry tonnes milled of 69 874 t represented a 23% rise over the preceding three months and 18% over the same quarter last year, driven by an increase in the rich Lower Footwall zone (LFZ).

Rambler had been doing development work on the LFZ during the first half of the year, resulting in a significant increase in output during the final quarter of the fiscal year.

“Our fiscal year-end goal was to reach steady-state production at 850 metric tonnes per day (mtpd). With this goal achieved, we will look forward to continuing to increase production levels throughout fiscal 2017,” stated president and CEO Norman Williams.

Rambler’s immediate plans are to increase mine and mill output to 1 250 mtpd by this time next year. This initial expansion has been fully funded through a £10.45-million investment made by CE Mining II earlier this year. Rambler will also continue advancing engineering studies on ore preconcentration and shaft rehabilitation work, with a view to further increase production to 2 000 mtpd at the Ming mine.

Rambler reported first production from the mine on November 28, 2011, from the 1806 gold zone. Production from this zone continued up to early May 2012, having produced 14 918 oz of gold dore at Nugget Pond mill. Live ore commissioning of the copper concentrator began on May 14, 2012.

Rambler is also conducting a detailed study at the mill, with a goal to increase gold recovery and production rates in the copper concentrator.