Metro Mining achieves 2018 production guidance, ships 2 million tonnes of bauxite

Metro Mining Ltd has achieved its production guidance for 2018 and has shipped 2,037,106 Wet Metric Tonnes (WMT) from its Bauxite Hills mine. The 33rd and final vessel for 2018, MV Sadlers Wells, completed loading on the 28 December and has departed for China.

Despite suspending ship loading activities due to weather impacts from ex Tropical Cyclone Owen in the third week of December, approximately 220,000WMT of bauxite was loaded this month.

Metro has also decided to transition to Owner/Operator for the mining operation, and as a result it has terminated the Mining Services Agreement with SAB Mining.

Given that mining and shipping is complete for 2018, and will recommence in April 2019,Metro expects no disruptions to operational activities from this change and has already begun transitioning to the Owner/Operator model, Metro Mining announced today.

Metro Mining Managing Director and CEO Simon Finnis said: “This is a great result for Metro; not only have we achieved guidance for 2018 in our first operational year, but we’ve done so after our operations have twice been interrupted by cyclones, at either end of the operating year. It is testament to our dedicated people on site that they’ve maintained focus and achieved our goals.”

“Now that we’ve commissioned and ramped up the project during 2018, it is a natural transition to own and operate our mining equipment. We have an excellent management team in place at the mine that is eminently capable of managing the mining function, so we see this as a logical step to increase efficiencies and reduce operating costs as we increase production to 3.5Mt in calendar year 2019.”