News
Indonesia looks for higher prices, improved payment terms

Indonesian government officials have spoken about new measures aimed at supporting tin prices and tightening payment terms for all metals and minerals. Director for industrial and mining product export affairs of the Directorate General of External Trade Hartojo Agus...

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South Korean tin purchases

South Korea’s state-run Public Procurement Service has bought 200 tonnes of refined tin from local trading companies, it said on Thursday. Daewoo International and Hanwha are to supply 100 tonnes each at premiums of $277 – 373/tonne over the LME price...

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Indonesian exports low again in December

Indonesia shipped less than 4,000 tonnes of tin in December, according to preliminary estimates from the Trade Ministry. Data released today shows that 3,805.5 tonnes of metal was checked for export last month by surveying companies under the ministry’s export...

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Vinto to reactivate two furnaces

Bolvia’s Vinto smelter is reactivating two furnaces in an effort to boost monthly refined tin production to 1,000 tpm. General Manager Franciso Infantes told BNamericas that initially a large rotary furnace has been reactivated, calling for a US$500,000...

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Indonesian smelters delay re-starts

Low prices and bad monsoon weather are delaying the re-start of operations at most independent smelters on Indonesia’s tin islands. Most of the major operations were shut down in October and exports by companies other than the large integrated producers, PT...

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Bolivian miners protest lay-offs

Bolivia's Federation of Mining Unions (FSTMB), which has some 15,000 members, has called for a general strike to protest lay-offs by private companies as mineral prices sag, union leader Guido Mitma told Reuters on Thursday. “The Mining Federation has called for...

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Tin lags growth in LME trading volumes

The London Metal Exchange (LME) achieved another record year in 2008 with over 113 million lots traded, representing a year-on-year increase of nearly 22%. 2008 annual volume represented some $10.24 trillion in turnover, an increase of 7% on 2007. The bulk of activity...

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Koba Tin boosts mine production

Indonesian tin producer PT Koba Tin plans to produce 9,017 tonnes of tin this year, or 750 tpm, Metal Bulletin reports. Koba Tin is Indonesia’s second largest integrated producer after PT Timah, the world's second largest tin supplier. Koba is owned 75% by...

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Yunnan stockpile scheme comes into operation

The Yunnan provincial government plan to support local base metals producers by arranging stockpiling through 2009 has come into effect, according to official and trade reports this week. Yunnan Tin, the only officially designated tin supplier, is reported to be...

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