Syrah Resources Balama

A fire has occurred at Syrah Resources’ Balama graphite operation, less than a week since the project received approvals from the Mozambique Government. The fire initiated in its processing equipment during hot work activities in piping maintenance.

It started below the primary classifier unit and affected its related pipe and electrical cabling.

Syrah Resources has confirmed that no structural damage was incurred beyond this point.

While the onsite emergency services team had quickly put out the fire, operations in all other sections of the plant were halted according to company procedures. There were no injuries due to the fire.

The plant’s primary classifier was rendered inoperable, which incurred a total repair cost, including a unit replacement, of $US500,000 ($704,000). The equipment distributes and separates different milled material from the scrubber.This will set production back at Balama to five weeks, with a production loss estimated to be around 30 kilotonnes (kt) in the fourth quarter of 2018.While minor impacts will only affect the company’s near-term sales profile, production forecast for the fourth quarter has been cut down to 30-35kt, amounting to a reduced full-year production guidance of 101-106kt. Mining, crushing and shipping activities will continue during this period.The Balama project is in the Cabo Delgado province of northern Mozambique

REHABILITATION OF NACALA PORT BEGINS

Mozambican Transport Minister Carlos Mesquita on Wednesday laid the first stone for the rehabilitation of the northern port of Nacala.The rehabilitation is financed by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and is budgeted at 273.6 million US dollars. The work force required is estimated at 400 Mozambicans and 56 foreigners.
At the inauguration ceremony, Mesquita stressed that the rehabilitation should not be regarded as merely economic since it would have a major social impact. “There will be direct job opportunities for 400 Mozambicans, and businesses in Nacala will be stimulated since the work will require the provision of a variety of services”, he said.
The Bay of Nacala is regarded as the best deep water harbour on the east African coast, and it never needs dredging. It contains two ports – the mineral port at Nacala-a-Velha, used mostly for coal exports, and the much older general commercial port of Nacala. Nacala has already undergone emergency rehabilitation between February 2014 and September 2015, thanks to a Japanese grant of 32.6 million dollars.  Mesquita said that with the new rehabilitation the port will be able to handle 250,000 containers a year rather than the current 170,000. Ships of up to 120,000 tonnes could dock at the port.Mesquita predicted that Nacala would become a nodal point on maritime transport routes facilitating access to the markets of eastern and southern Asia and of the Middle East. “Nacala will come to figure on the map of the most competitive ports in the region”, he said.JICA representative Hirokaki Endu expected the project to strengthen Nacala’s role among the main ports of sub-Saharan Africa. “The challenge now is launched to all stakeholders to guarantee fluent implementation, based on cooperation and harmonisation”, he said.

+300 beds for Gaza

"Today, as a result of government policies and public and private investments, the Chibuto district is at a great pace of development. And its population prides itself on having quality services that were once only found in large cities such as Maputo, Beira or Nampula, and a little in Xai-Xai, "he said.
The establishment is now considered a launch pad for Chibuto on the route of the main points of convergence of people coming from almost every country, region and world, attracted by the business and employment opportunities generated in the district.It is expected that Chibuto will come the reforms introduced recently by the government, which include making the allocation of visas for investment activity more flexible and facilitating the movement of foreign tourists entering the country using border visas. Regarding the supermarket, Nyusi expressed the the desire to see more Mozambican products resulting from local and national production sold. As for the restaurant, he recommended that typical Mozambican or Chibuto dishes be included in the menu to promote the internationalization of the national tourism sector.
The head of state also left other recommendations, which he believes are crucial for the investment to have the expected returns.
'Promoting continuous professional training courses so that Mozambican workers have high standards of productivity and become more competitive, including knowing how to offer international product services. In this regard, we also encourage women and young people to prioritize ', he instructed. Other issues include the strict observance of health and safety aspects of work; comply and scrupulously observe the Labor Law and ensure that all workers have contracts on time. China's ambassador to Mozambique, Su Jian, was at the opening ceremony of Desheng Comercial. He stressed the importance of the complex and informed that this is only the first phase. The second includes the construction, among other establishments, of an international conference center in the area where the recently inaugurated project is located, with around 85 thousand square meters.
"It will play a key role in promoting the economic and social development of Chibuto, Chókwè and Xai-Xai, local employment, raising local taxes," he said.The President of the Republic, Filipe Nyusi, today inaugurated a commercial and hotel complex called Desheng Comercial, in the municipal city of Chibuto, a district of the southern province of Gaza, in Mozambique. It is a space of the Chinese AFEEC group, with an area of ​​about 12 thousand square meters, the equivalent of just over one hectare. The center consists of a supermarket (Iveto Supermarket); hotel (Golden Peacock Resort Hotel) with 24 rooms divided into seven villas, swimming pool and restaurant with capacity to receive approximately 300 people; leisure park; shops that include the sale of building materials; children's playground, among other services. The project will have a direct impact on the lives of citizens, as it translates into jobs, increased housing capacity, availability of various consumer goods, among other elements.
Nyusi considered Desheng Comercial an investment that aims to leverage Chibuto's trade and hotel sector and, along with other initiatives promoted by the government, make Chibuto a space that begins to depend on itself for development, to compete in ' equal footing 'with other cities, in addition to contributing to the growth of Gaza province as a whole.