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ARM to boost manganese exports
Allan Seccombe
Posted: Wed, 20 Feb 2008

[miningmx.com] -- AFRICAN Rainbow Minerals and its partner Assore are involved in talks with rail and port authorities to secure a sizeable allocation on the expanded manganese export channel.

ARM and Assore jointly own Assmang, South Africa’s largest manganese ore exporter. It has production capacity of 3.5 million tonnes, but is utilising about three million tonnes of that.

Assmang could export about 2.5 million tonnes of manganese ore this financial year to end-June 2008 and possibly sell up to 500,000 tonnes into the domestic market.

Transnet is spending R700m upgrading the railway line from the Northern Cape to the Port Elizabeth harbour, which will also have its capacity for manganese ore expanded. In all, the channel will be expanded to 4.4 million tonnes/year from 3.5 million tonnes currently.

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The expansion is expected to be completed in 2009.

“We have to conclude our negotiations with Transnet by April so that we can plan our production,” said Jan Steenkamp, head of ARM Ferrous.

There is a feasibility study underway into expanding capacity in that channel to six million tonnes/year by 2012. This is to accommodate an increased number of players entering the sector.