MINER Australian Bauxite Ltd has announced the sale of 35,000 tonnes of bauxite cement, with the mineral to be exported via Bell Bay in Tasmania before 20 August.
The bauxite is to come from the Bald Hill Bauxite Project near Campbell Town, Northern Tasmania.
In a statement published by ABx, the company said delays due to COVID-19 restrictions had been overcome and demand was likely to grow.
“We have secured working capital finance for this early production strategy and we have a production team that is renowned for on-time, on-specification delivery of bauxite blended to our customer’s requirements,” said ABX chief operating officer Leon Hawker.
“We can ship efficiently from Bell Bay Port – an all-weather, 24/7 port that can operate to high standards and good loading rates all year round. This is a core strength of our bauxite business.”
ABx marketing manager Paul Glover said their bauxite was blended to suit “our cement-grade bauxite customer’s requirements for very clean bauxite by efficient production and careful transport pit-to-port”.
“We are pleased to see demand returning for high-strength cement that our bauxite achieves now that infrastructure projects are underway. We are in a growing market situation,” he said.
“ABx is negotiating with contractors for mining, transport and port services to bring forward production in order to take advantage of current low fuel costs.”
ABx also confirmed it had contracted with QUBE Ports at Bell Bay for stevedoring.
Monson Shipping is to provide shipping agent services and Briar Maritime independent ship surveys. TasPort negotiations are underway and it is hoped that the benefits from early production can lead to a mutually beneficial outcome.
