A stockpile of bauxite from the Bald Hill mine at the Bell Bay port.
JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Sydney-based miner Australian Bauxite (ABx) has concluded its second and largest sale of bauxite from its Bald Hill mine, in Tasmania, with the shipment of 35 913 t of cement-grade bauxite loaded and departed from Bell Bay port.
The mine, the first new bauxite project in Australia for more than 35 years, reopened five days ahead of schedule on August 3 to start assembling the third cargo for sale later this year.
This ship was loaded in 45 hours, achieving rates exceeding 900 t/h, using all four of the ship’s cranes, each with a 12 t clamshell grab.
“We have now demonstrated to all our customers that we can load and ship large tonnage cargos very efficiently from Bell Bay. It also demonstrates that our stockpiles of bauxite perform very well, having withstood the recent major floods in northern Tasmania, without degrading,” ABx COO Leon Hawker said on Monday.
The ship loading was overseen by shipping company Qube Stevedores, TasPorts, ship’s agent Monsons Shipping, independent inspection company Briar Maritime and the ABx sampling team.
ABx plans to sell its bauxite products into three main markets, including high-grade metallurgical-grade bauxite for the aluminium industry, cement-grade bauxite for the manufacture of high-specification cement and fertiliser-grade bauxite for the fertiliser industry.
The company noted that, while the cement and fertilizer industries had significant tonnage potential, it would remain prudent about expansion plans, saying it would seek multi-year contracts with several large customers.