Vinto reduces ore purchases

Sep 10, 2008

Bolivia’s Vinto metallurgical complex (CMV) has restricted its purchases of tin ore to 600 tonnes a month in a move to avoid increasing its roughly US$33 million debt to state tin miner Empresa Minera Huanuni (EMH), according to local press reports monitored by...

Indonesian government may chase old royalty payments

Sep 9, 2008

Bisnis Indonesia reported today that at least fifteen tin smelters holding mining concessions are suspected of not paying a 3% royalty from 2002 to 2005, inflicting a total loss of US$19.63 million (182.5 billion rupiah) on the state. An unnamed official at the...

Jakarta Tin Market plan backed by independent smelters

Sep 9, 2008

A plan to establish a tin market based in Indonesia has been supported by the main independent tin smelters there. According to the official Antara news agency yesterday, companies grouped in the Bangka Belitung Timah Sejahtera (BBTS) consortium urged the government...

Indonesian exports fall in August

Sep 8, 2008

Data from Indonesia’s Trade Ministry shows that the volume of tin checked for export by surveyors fell to 8,231 tonnes in August, 17% lower than in July. The fall in exports may be because some buyers slowed their purchases due to adequate stock, Hartojo Agus...

High prices offset lower production for Timah

Sep 1, 2008

Indonesia’s state-controlled tin producer PT Timah reported a 42% rise in net income to Rp 1,112 billion (US$120 million) in the first half of 2008. Total net sales rose by 3% to Rp 4,203 billion (US$ 453 million), of which 91% was accounted for by refined tin...

China imports up 20%, exports down 100%

Aug 26, 2008

Official customs statistics released on 22 August show China importing 941 tonnes of refined tin in July, up 20% on the July 2007 level, while exports dropped to zero. Meanwhile imports of tin concentrates more than doubled to 683 tonnes (gross weight). Refined tin...