Coal Exports Continue Despite COVID-19

VOLUME 8: ISSUE 2 MZN 250/US$6.50 APRIL / MAY / JUNE 2020 MOZAMBIQUE MINING JOURNAL | April - June 2020 Volume 6 / Issue 16 US $4.30 January - March 2019

Coal exports continue despite COVID-19

Auctions suspension Kenmare suspends COVID-19 impact on the affects Gemfields 7 production guidance mining sector 13 10

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MOZAMBIQUE MINING JOURNAL | April - June 2020

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Contents Editorial Comment

Thumbs up for permitting cargo movements : ...... 4

News Brief : ...... 5

Cover Story

Coal exports continue despite COVID-19 : ...... 6

General News

Auctions suspension affects Gemfields : ...... 7 Balama remains positive despite COVID-19 : ...... 8 Fura acquire more ruby licences : ...... 9 Geological survey underway in Tete province : ...... 9 Kenmare suspends production guidance : ...... 10 Savannah Resources eyes Inhambane minerals sands : ...... 10

African News

Advanced metal plug and socket outlet range launched : ...... 12 COVID-19 impact on the mining sector : ...... 13

New Industry Trends & Technology

Kobold’s DWF makes density measurement easy : ...... 14 New app makes job easier for blasters : ...... 15

Publisher ADDRESS MTI Moçambique Limitada Maputo office: Editor 628 Julius Nyerere Avenue Andrew Maramwidze Maputo, Mazambique [email protected] P.O Box 3236, Maputo Tel: +258 84 119 4017 / +258 84 445 5339 Editorial Contributors: Fax: +258 82 423 8542 More Love Mafu Dakito Bias Tete office: Mario Deus Talhao 4109 Casimo Muhimua Matundo, Tete Tel: +258 84 119 4017 / +258 212 230 941 Fax: +258 212 227 698 ADVERTISING SALES [email protected] Domingos Langa [email protected] Brito Mamba www:mozambiqueminingjournal.com Sergio Saidi Gersholm Twazi

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MOZAMBIQUE MINING JOURNAL | April - June 2020 Editorial Comment

Thumbs up for permitting cargo movements and a lot of uncertainties are prevailing the Covid-19 has forced the government with potential for multiple effects. to cut back its targets for this year and the projections for the mining sector are Faced with this unforeseen monster, not pegged at 1.5 percent growth. only ravaging the health system, leaders should be applauded for allowing cargo The forecast already indicates why more movements. commitment should be done after fighting the pandemic. The decision to permit cargo movement will also see a surge in other mining na- Remember to share with us your com- tions’ products in-transit, now using Beira ments, letter and opinions on drew- port to reach various destinations over- [email protected] seas. We hope all these opportunities realised during this lockdown, can be Enjoy the read! further pursued and continue to generate the much needed income for government and other facilities along the routes to Beira port.

However, coal industry is only a portion of the mining industry; other pockets includ- Andrew Maramwidze (Editor) ing other sectors also need to participate, therefore the COVID-19 pandemic calls for a strong blueprint to protect the nation s the world is reeling on the from both the infection and potential neg- effects of the COVID-19, the ative challenges. A local economy is not spared, though a glitter of hope is there for the Things will not be the same after the 30 mining industry. days, so many proactive actions by both the mining sector and government will With movements of people having been need to be taken to sustain the industry brought to a halt, via a 30-day national and not tolerate its sinking. state of emergency in response to the corona-virus outbreak, coal mining oper- Yes, sinking! If the challenges that will ations and exports should celebrate the face the mining industry at the end of exemption. fighting the pandemic are not robust, we risk seeing our promising mining indus- Thumps to the authorities for seeing it fit try’s potential. to allow movements of cargo to continue, mostly to facilitate medical equipments Prime Minister Carlos Agostinho do Ro- and aid into the country. Other countries sario has already announced that the have brought everything to a standstill global economic crisis precipitated by

www.mozambiqueminingjournal.com 4 MOZAMBIQUE MINING JOURNAL | April - June 2020 News Briefs

Benga power plant nears Logistics Corridor, in the north. Volumes of copper and cobalt ex- completion port volumes recently increased Illegal Miners Die in Cabo Del- at the Beira port, after South Kibo Energy the developers gado Africa announced a lockdown. of Benga Power Plant Proj- ect (BPPP) remains optimis- Four illegal miners recently Authorities in South Africa ini- tic on clinching a power deal. died in a series of collapses of tially said ports would only pro- unsafe shafts, dug in the con- cess essential goods during a “We continue to have encourag- cession area worked by Mon- three-week nationwide lock- ing discussions with Electricidade tepuez Ruby Mining (MRM) down, which was later ex- de Moçambique (‘EDM’) regard- in Montepuez, in the north- tended by another two weeks. ing a Power Purchase Agree- ern province of Cabo Delgado. ment,” said Louis Coetzee, Kibo South Africa’s lockdown ben- Energy Chief Executive Officer. MRM says was informed about efited ports like Dar, Beira and the incidents by the Ntoro com- Walvis Bay, and it is hurting Ma- With a definitive feasibili- munity, the first collapse of a puto port, which depends on ty study based on a 150 MW shaft within the MRM conces- South African mine production. coal-fired power plant already sion zone, in the area known as in place, the advanced proj- ‘Central’, where one miner died. Maputo exported around half of ect is reaching an exciting South Africa’s total chrome pro- stage, according to Coetzee. Another collapse was in a duction last year, according to Os- place known as Krongolo Sim- orio Lucas, chief executive of the “Not only does it have signif- ba, three other miners died. Maputo Port Development Co. icant expansion potential, including the establishment of a JSPL Mozambique Minerais to pure renewable energy project, start mining Zambia’s tax deferment inspire but the off-take opportunities Gemfields’ performance are escalating,” said Coetzee. JSPL Mozambique Minerais in- tends to increase coal produc- Suspension of a 15 percent Brazilian workers evacuated tion from the current 3.0 million export duty in Zambia has to 4.5 million tonnes, this year. spurred performance of Gem- Vale Moçambique has sent home Rajendra Tiwari, the director-gen- fields’ subsidiaries in 2019. over 200 Brazilian workers, as eral of the company recently fears of the COVID-19 spread. said work to expand the coal Montepuez, the world’s richest processing unit has been under- known ruby deposit, generated “Vale is acting in line with health way since the first half of 2019. revenue of almost $122 million and safety protocols set by in 2019 versus $127.1 million the the authorities and agencies Tiwari said the company previous year while Kagem em- of each of the countries where plans to raise production lev- erald mine in Zambia, recorded it operates and is watching as els to achieve annual pro- $79 million in revenue last year, the situation develops,” state- duction of 5.0 million tonnes. up from $60.3 million in 2018. ment from the company said. The major constraint on the Despite Montepuez facing in- The group hired an aircraft, a company in terms of operat- cursions in the past, Gem- Boeing 787 Dreamliner, from the ing costs is due to the distance fields last year chose to pay Ethiopian carrie,as scheduled from the mine to the railroad £5.8 million, in a “no admission flights had been suspended. terminal in the city of Moatize, of liability” move that settled approximately 150 kilometres. a claim of human rights abus- The company operates the es brought against it by locals. Moatize coal mine, in the central SA lockdown benefit Beira port province of Tete, and the Nacala

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MOZAMBIQUE MINING JOURNAL | April - June 2020 Cover Story

Coal exports continue despite COVID-19 he 30-day national state of company continues to produce coal, as od of 2018. Thermal coal accounted for emergency in response to the Beira port remains open. around 40pc of the coal loaded at the port T coronavirus outbreak has not in the first half of 2019. dented coal mining operations and ex- However, authorities have warned that ports. The presidential decree limiting stricter measures will only be imposed The bulk of the around 400,000t of ther- the cross-border movement of people to when there is an exponential increase in mal coal exports was shipped to India, control the spread of the coronavirus pan- infections. with the exception of two cargoes going demic has exempted cargo movement. to Senegal. On the other hand Prime Minister Carlos President Filipe Nyusi beginning of April Agostinho do Rosario announced that the Thermal coal cargoes leaving Beira typi- announced partial border closure except global economic crisis precipitated by cally have a calorific value of NAR 5,500 for “matters of the state, humanitarian or the Covid-19 has forced the government kcal/kg or NAR 5,800 kcal/kg, and are of- health support and cargo transport”, al- to cut back its targets for this year and ten procured by Indian and Middle East- lowing many sectors, including mining, the projections for the mining sector are ern cement manufacturers. shipping and port operations, to contin- pegged at 1.5 percent growth. ue as normal, albeit with some additional South African exports to Mozambique fell health and safety measures in place. Statistics indicate Beira loaded 1mn t of to 912,200t in the first half of 2019 from One of the leading coal miners, Indi- thermal and coking coal in January-June 1.5mn t in the same period of 2018. an-owned Jindal Africa confirmed the 2019, up from 975,000t in the same peri-

www.mozambiqueminingjournal.com 6 MOZAMBIQUE MINING JOURNAL | April - June 2020 General News

Auctions suspension affects Gemfields

he financial performance of province, as another problem in addition US$25.4 million at the end of Decem- Gemfields may this year be to Covid-19. ber 2019, an annual increase of 159% T significantly affected by the due to the sale of its stake in the Júpiter Covid-19 pandemic, which has led to the “Montepuez Ruby Mining Limited is in mines for US$30.4 million , but the need suspension of auctions for precious touch with the Mozambican authorities to suspend the auctions may lead to this stones, due to the COVID-19 pandemic so that they take measures against the amount “disappearing.” has potential to affect Gemfields perfor- financiers, facilitators and unions that are mance. behind the illegal trade of rubies,” The company’s results in 2019, indicate that the earnings before interest, taxes, “Although 2019 was very positive for In February, the company reported that depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) the company, the Covid-19 pandemic illegal miners had destroyed equipment registered an increase of slightly more will have an impact on our operational and attacked workers. than one-third to US$80.9 million. and financial performance in 2020,” said Meanwhile the company had cash of Gemsfields Chief Executive Officer, Sean Gilbertson.

The restrictions on the movement of people have forced the suspension of auctions of rubies mined in Mozambique and of emeralds ‘for an unknown period of time’.Gilbertson also mentioned the in- vasion by illegal miners of the company’s ruby concession area in Cabo Delgado

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MOZAMBIQUE MINING JOURNAL | April - June 2020 General News

Balama remains positive despite COVID-19

he significant disruption to “Significant operational progress was quarter of the year. global supply chains occurring made at Balama in 2019 with embedding T as a result of COVID -19 has also of management systems and processes Meanwhile Syrah has continued to make hit Balama Mine. that improved plant reliability, enabling full progress towards becoming an ex-Asia year natural graphite production at Bala- vertically integrated supplier of active an- Syrah Resources, the developers of the ma of 153kt. ode material into the battery supply chain, mine said the full impact on the business with first production of purified spherical from COVID 19 is not yet known. “Although Balama was positioned oper- graphite with purity of 99.95 percent car- ationally to achieve higher full year pro- bon achieved during 2019. “Syrah is however well positioned to ben- duction, output was constrained by lower efit from any improvement in focus on than expected natural graphite market Almost all active anode material for the supply chain diversification for natural demand during H2 2019, primarily due lithium-ion battery supply chain is cur- graphite upon operational restart,” said to lower year-on-year EV sales growth in rently produced in Asia between China, Shaun Verner, Managing Director and China during the second half of the year,” Japan and Korea. Chief Executive Officer at Syrah Resourc- Verner said. es. Critically 100 percent of natural graphite However, the weaker than expected de- precursor production (purified spherical Syrah said it will continue to sell from mand in 2019 caused a market imbalance graphite) is produced in China – a situa- product inventory through the Port of during the third quarter, resulting in down- tion that is not sustainable for long term Nacala to the extent this remains possi- ward pressure on global natural graphite global battery manufacturing capacity ble, and subject to end market demand prices and led to the decision to moder- growth. which has also been impacted globally by ate production at Balama and undertake a COVID 19. companywide cost restructure in the last

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www.mozambiqueminingjournal.com 8 MOZAMBIQUE MINING JOURNAL | April - June 2020 General News

Fura acquire more ruby licences

ura Gems has announced intentions to acquire three ing concession 8921C and the third is a right to earn a 65 per- ruby mining licences in the Cabo Delgado. The devel- cent interest in mining concession 8955C, under a joint venture F opment comes after the company entered into a share agreement. On the backdrop, the company recently completed purchase agreement and non-competition agreement with Gem- merger of the ruby assets agreement with New Energy Minerals rock Co. Ltd (GemRock). Ltd and others.

“The company is pleased to further consolidate its position in the “The company now has three important silos of colour-gemstone main ruby belt of the Montepuez district,” said Dev Shetty, Fura’s properties in its portfolio, emeralds from Colombia, the world’s President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). largest emerald supplier in value; rubies from Mozambique, the world’s largest ruby supplier by volume, and sapphires from the Fura is currently in the process of completing the purchase and sapphire project in Australia.” sale of interests in three additional ruby prospecting concessions. The first is the 75 percent of the issued shares of Mon- The CEO is optimistic that Fura is in a strong position to be able tepuez Minerals, which owns a 70 percent interest in mining to create a leading colour gemstone company. licence 5030L and the second is an 80 percent interest in min-

Geological survey underway in Tete province

uthorities in Tete province have indicated that there Moçambique, along the Moatize carbon basin for two year after, is over 700 million tons of iron ore and vanadium in the in 2013, there was an increase in requests for new coal and metal A Angónia-Marávia plateau mining licenses. The provincial director of Mineral Resources and Energy, Grácio “At that time we registered a lot of requests to grant mining con- Cune said geological surveying was underway to determine, cer- cession and to open a gold mine in Macanga district and we tify and prove the quantities of platinum and ziron in Tete prov- reached peak employment of around 9,000 national workers,” ince. Cune said.

Cune said the province also has gold, precious and semi-precious stones, manganese, and zinc among other minerals, such as decorative stones, limestone, gravel, sand and clays.

According to Cune, in 2013, the peak of mineral prospecting oc- curred in the province, when around 150 drilling machines were involved, operating with licenses in 372 mining concessions. The provincial director of Mineral Resources and Energy further said that in 2019 there had been a drop in coal prospecting in 235 areas, “…probably driven by the drop in prices of the mineral on the international market, which affected the companies involved in the sector.” The opening of the first open pit coal mine oc- curred in 2011 in the areas handed over in a concession to Vale

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MOZAMBIQUE MINING JOURNAL | April - June 2020 General News

Savannah Resources eyes Inhambane minerals sands avannah Resources has announced plans to extract Kenmare suspends heavy mineral sands from the pristine beaches of S Inhambane. production guidance In partnership with the Anglo-Australian multinational Rio Tin- to, Savannah has been granted a concession of 400 square irst quarter production from the Moma Mine was kilometres in Inhambane, from which it plans To extract titani- lower than anticipated, the developers of the mine um ores and zircon. F Kenmare Resources has announced in the company’s production report. “…one of the most attractive undeveloped deposits of mineral sands in the world.” said David Archer, Chief Executive Officer “Our objective is to keep our operations running safely and (CEO) of Savannah Resources. although production from the Moma Mine was lower than anticipated in Q1, the Mine has not been materially affected by Savannah has also applied for a further 138 square kilometres COVID-19 to date and we are continuing to ship our products,” in the same area, in the districts of Inharrime and Jangamo. said Kenamare Resources’ Managing Director Michael Carvill. Meanwhile the Chinese company Haiyu wants to open a heavy He however said recent COVID-19 restrictions are having an sands mine near the Inhambane town of Vilankulo. operational impact and may also result in a delay to the move of Wet Concentrator Plant B, which would negatively affect Haiyu has been operating in Angoche district, in the northern production for 2020. province of Nampula since 2011, and has been accused of causing major environmental damage. “Due to the uncertain outlook, we have taken the decision to suspend our 2020 guidance until further notice,” said Carvill. The company’s operations were blamed for a flash flood that Carvill indicated that the prices for ilmenite, the company’s destroyed the coastal village of Nagonha in 2015. main product increased for the fourth consecutive quarter in the first quarter of 2020 as demand continued to outstrip sup- Mining the beaches of Inhambane poses a threat to the tour- ply. ism for which the province is best known, and to the natural beauty of the coastline, environmentalists have warned. “Whilst there is evidence of near-term disruption to both the supply and demand of titanium feed-stocks, inventories in the Some of the products to be extracted from the mineral sands supply chain remain low and the market is expected to require include the most common titanium compound, titanium diox- additional production to meet future demand,” said the MD. ide used in the manufacture of white pigments.

The company has taken a decision to draw from its debt fa- The titanium can also be alloyed with iron, aluminium and oth- cilities to provide maximum liquidity and flexibility during the er metals to produce lightweight alloys for the aerospace in- unprecedented period. dustry and many other applications. Tipper Services “At the end of Q1 we had over US$100 million of cash and we General Cargo Division remain well-resourced to complete the move of Wet Concen- trator Plant B,” said Carvill. Tanker Division Moma Mine further said due to the impact of COVID-19 pan- OOG Division demic, operations and production outlook for 2020 remains highly uncertain. The MD said Kenmare expected the fourth quarter of 2020 to be the strongest quarter of the year, follow- 100 ing the move of WCP B to the high grade Pilivili ore zone.

95 “However the timeline for the WCP B move has become less clear as a result of recent restrictions. Consequently, the com- 75 pany has taken the prudent decision to suspend its 2020 guidance, announced 9 January 2020, until the outlook is clearer,” said Carvill.

Phone: +258 847002643 | Email: [email protected] 25 Meanwhile Kenmare continues to monitor the impact of re- Facebook: www.facebook.com/specializedtransport/ strictions placed on the movement of people and goods 5 across relevant international borders. 0 For more information visit us on: www.mozambiqueminingjournal.com 10 www.specialized-transport.com

100

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Advanced metal plug and socket outlet range launched owermite, a specialist industrial socket outlets, integrated circuit break- tion of operators as well as their equip- plugs and sockets manufacturer er and earth leakage models as well as ment,” notes Marks. All switch sockets P and supplier for over 30 years, switched dual mechanical interlocked are available with electrical interlock and proudly highlights its range of metal and socket outlets with contractor and over- under-voltage relay which can prevent plastic products manufactured by AMP- load options. automatic reconnection after a power fail- CO. ure. Bearing testament to Powermite’s belief Catering to Africa’s customers in the in superior-quality, these products comply Marks also explains that an integrated commercial, mining and industrial sec- with all international standards and certifi- earth leakage/circuit breaker unit will pro- tors, the renowned AMPCO metal range cations: SANS 1239:2004 and SANS/IEC vide protection for both the operator as is locally manufactured from aluminium 60309-1+2, 1999 and IEC 60309-1 (EN well as the equipment. and comprises CEE type metal plug and 60309 part 1) and IEC 60309-2 (EN 60309 socket outlets, DIN and Swedish plugs part 2). Furthermore, the tripped socket will only and sockets, as well as explosion proof render one user out of order instead of plugs and sockets with isolators. Marks adds that these CEE type metal a chain of sockets as in the case where plug and socket outlets are also compat- one earth leakage unit protects a chain of “We are highly enthusiastic about this cut- ible with non-AMPCO products carrying socket outlets. ting-edge metal offering which positions the same accreditations as all manufac- Powermite, a member of the Hudaco tures adopt the same clock hour positions In addition to South Africa and neigh- group of companies, as a single-source for the earth position and relative operat- bouring counties including Botswana, supplier of complete engineered solu- ing voltage. Zambia, Mozambique, and Namibia, the tions,” said Donovan Marks, Director of Johannesburg head office, supported by Powermite. All the units are offered in standardised a country-wide branch network delivers pin and voltage configurations and are ei- world-class service and after-sales ser- Kicking off the metal range is the AMPCO ther IP44 (splashproof) or IP67 (dust tight vice to customer in the DRC, UK, Malay- CEE type metal plug and socket outlets. and temporary immersion) rated. The ep- sia and Singapore. oxy powder coated housing contributes This robust 32 to 250Amp collection is to an extended lifespan particularly in perfectly suited for arduous environments corrosive coastal environments. typically found in mines (underground and surface), steel works and ship yards All springs and screws are cadmium plat- where high heat and rough conditions ex- ed while the inserts are manufactured ist. from brass and placed into Amplast in- sulation making these units heat resistant The extensive range includes plug tops, and robust. “Our products are designed switched dual mechanical interlocked with safety in mind to ensure the protec-

www.mozambiqueminingjournal.com 12 MOZAMBIQUE MINING JOURNAL | April - June 2020 African News

COVID-19 impact on the mining sector By SHABIR AHMED*

he World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the T COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic. Mining companies have been affected by COVID-19 outbreaks, and global restrictions to encourage social distancing have meant that mining projects have either slowed or been put on hold until further notice. major copper project. South Africa’s 35- tional Institute for Communicable Diseas- There is no doubt that mining executives day period of national lockdown has sim- es. The COVID-19 outbreak has made the are beginning to feel nervous as the spread ilarly ground all local mining operations to immediate future of several mining oper- of the virus accelerates. Share-prices of a halt until at least April 30th. Even where ations around the world uncertain. As a listed mining companies are in a down- shutdowns are not occurring, restrictions result, there may be an increased appeal ward spiral. Commodity prices across the on the movement of people and supplies and demand for solutions to reduce the industry have been tumbling as the indus- will inevitably delay development work. human workforce at mine sites. try considers the devastating aftershocks of this ‘Black Swan’ event. South Africa’s mining sector is particularly Uptake of automated mine solutions in- exposed to the spread of Covid-19. Ac- cluding self-driving haul trucks and re- Mining companies are feeling the pres- cording to the Minerals Council of South mote operations centers has been slow sure, despite recent positive results Africa, the industry employs a workforce but steady. One of the earliest moves into brought by surging commodity prices and numbering almost 420,000, many of automation came with global mining giant various cost-cutting initiatives. South Afri- whom are underground on any given day. Rio Tinto’s Mine of the Future initiative in can miner Sibanye-Stillwater’s share price 2008. has lost over 60 percent in the past four Some mines have thousands of men and weeks while Impala Platinum has lost a women underground, descending into the From a remote operations center in Perth, similar percentage, and Anglo American depths in crowded “cages”. Before and Western Australia, workers operate au- is down by as much as 40 percent. after, dressing rooms are filled with min- tonomous mining vehicles at mines more ers preparing for their shifts or cleaning than 1,200km away in the Pilbara region The response to the pandemic from gov- up afterwards. of Western Australia. Today, around a ernments and markets has shaken the third of the haul truck fleet at Rio Tinto’s mining industry, with restrictions imposed It does not take an epidemiologist to re- Pilbara mines are autonomous. on mining companies, this has seen pro- alise that the mining work environment duction shut down across multiple mar- is a catalyst for spreading the COVID-19 The Syama underground gold mine in kets. pandemic. In South Africa, this is exacer- Mali, became the world’s first fully au- bated by the fact that the mining labour tonomous mine operation. Designed in Alta Zinc has shut-down production at its force remains migrant, with constant partnership with Swedish engineering largest project in northern Italy. In Mon- movement between the gold fields and company Sandvik, the mine operates with golia, Rio Tinto suspended non-essential platinum belt and Lesotho, Mozambique fully automated trucks, loaders and drills. operations following the country’s first and the Eastern Cape. The fully autonomous operation means confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis. And An- that the mine can operate 24 hours a glo American is in the process of demo- In addition, the average age in the indus- day, with all operations overseen from a bilising most of the 10,000-strong con- try’s workforce is over 40, increasing their remote operation centre. Depending on struction workforce at its copper project vulnerability to an illness that poses a how long this crisis lasts, the mining in- in Peru. greater risk the older the infected person dustry could see big moves into autono- is. On a slightly positive note, the South mous mining technologies in the not-too- We’re also witnessing a halt on capex African mining industry’s experience with distant future. growth. While capital expenditure for the AIDS and tuberculosis should stand it in world’s 20 largest mining companies grew good stead: It has invested in health in- Whilst it is not possible to predict how by 12 percent in 2019 to reach $49.1-bil- frastructure and has experience with con- COVID-19 will further disrupt the mining lion, we’re now seeing delays in project tact-tracing because the procedure with industry, what is certain is that the mining work and investments being put on hold. a tuberculosis diagnosis is similar to that industry must reconfigure and prepare it- of coronavirus. self to operate under a new normal, one The recent announcement of a 15-day in which it can operate and sustain itself quarantine in Peru, the world’s sec- The Minerals Council of South Africa has under the new constraints and challenges ond-largest copper producer, has meant also published a 10-Point Action Plan for that such pandemics bring with them. miners such as Anglo American, Pan COVID-19 which outlines several mea- American Silver and Newmont, have had sures to deal with COVID-19, however it *Shabir Ahmed is an industry advisor to put a halt to operations, which includes will take its lead from agencies like the for mining at SAP Africa. the slowing of work on Anglo American’s World Health Organization and the Na-

13 www.mozambiqueminingjournal.com

MOZAMBIQUE MINING JOURNAL | April - June 2020 New Industry Trends & Technology

Kobold’s DWF makes density measurement easy

he monitoring and continuous measurement of liquid media and two-phase liquids is now easy with T Kobold’s DWF mechanical density meter. According to manufacturer once the meter is calibrated to the respective medium, the density is measured by means of a float and transmitted to the outside without magnetic contact. The new equipment can also handle multi-phase media.

The manufacturer further highlights that at one percent of the measuring range, the repeatability and linearity of the robust field device are very high. In addition, the stainless steel or Hastelloy instrument can stand medium temperatures up to 150° C and pressures up to PN 40.

With its three different sizes ranging from a maximum of 2,500 L/h to a maximum of 10,000 L/h, makes it possible to optimally adjust the system to the respective task. The nominal widths of the process connections are DN 25 for the smaller device and DN 50 for the two larger devices. An easy-to-read mechanical indicator is located directly on the measuring device. The electrical output signal 4... 20 mA is for remote transmission.

Additional limit value contacts can also expand the application possibilities as needed with the respective switch outputs and a transducer with communication protocols such as HART®, Profibus® PA, or Foundation™ Fieldbus. With an IP 65 degree of protection, the high quality and robust measurement instrument is very well designed for a harsh process environment. It fulfills the industrial norms and standards and is certified for use in explosive areas.

DWF’s MAIN FEATURES:

• A large spectrum of wetted materials • Magneto-resistive signal transmission • High-temperature application (option) • High-pressure application (option) • Excellent heat tracing technology

The sensor DWF is used for density metering of liquid media in pipes and the scale on the device shows the density rate expressed as grams per liter or kg per mÑ.

Applications include density metering, -monitoring, and control of liquid media. The meter’s design as mechanical device is excellent for processes under difficult and rough operating conditions. www.mozambiqueminingjournal.com 14 MOZAMBIQUE MINING JOURNAL | April - June 2020 New Industry Trends & Technology

New app makes job easier for blasters

of guiding formulas that allows a blaster or engineer to plan a blast from start to finish,” said BME global manager blasting science, D. Scott Scovira.

“The blast design calculator utilises user inputs including burden, spacing, stemming height, sub-drill, hole diameter, bench height and explosive type to determine explosive loads, powder factors and other outputs. It could be used, for exam- ple, to investigate potential blast patterns for a greenfield site – where numerous scenarios may be quickly generated and calculations checked.”

Scovira added that the rules of thumb table – which summarises surface blast design guidelines – can be referenced by the user as they access the blast design calculators.

The quick calculator includes a BME in- house formula for the target powder fac- tor, as well as calculations related to the volume of rock to be blasted – either volume per hole or volume per blast.

There are energy equations to compare different types of explosives based on their relative bulk strength, while hole- charging equations determine the mass of explosives going into a hole and address loading with gassed emulsion products.

This helps determine column lengths and stemming lengths – with gassed and un- gassed explosives.

The app’s prediction calculators look at environmental considerations and blast- ME has launched its new, free erties and a BME contact directory per ing radius, providing guidance on how to Blasting Guide application for country. avoid fly-rock. These help predict peak B Android mobile devices, en- particle velocity and blasted rock projec- abling users to quickly calculate and “The new app is an integral part of BME’s tions so that clearance areas can be es- check blast designs. pioneering approach to harnessing the tablished. power of digital technology in the blasting Currently available for Android devices sector,” said Christiaan Liebenberg, soft- The app will soon also include a scale and downloadable from the Google Play ware product manager at BME. depth of burial tool designed by a Store, the new BME Blasting Guide mo- world-recognised consultant. bile app replaces traditional paper book- “This platform gives our Blasting Guide lets carried and referenced by in-field us- a mobility and ease of use that makes a In line with its strategic commitment to ers. It includes a blast design calculator, blasting engineer’s job easier and more collaboration in the digital space, BME quick calculators and prediction calcula- productive.” engaged Viga Interactive to create a tors – and also has both metric and impe- Liebenberg said that while the app is not world-class user experience and design, rial unit measurements, making it useful itself a blast design tool, it is a powerful as well as ITnDesign for the development across the globe. means of verifying blast design outputs work, said Liebenberg. and making important blast planning de- Other app features include surface blast cisions. The app will also be available on the IOS design rules of thumb, environmental platform later this year, he said. guidelines, a table of common rock prop- “The blast design calculator is a series

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MOZAMBIQUE MINING JOURNAL | April - June 2020