Indonesian government may chase old royalty payments
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
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
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...
Tin mines for North America?
The boom in tin prices in recent years could potentially lead to a revival of tin mining on a significant scale in North America for the first time since the early 1990s. Three projects in Alaska, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia have estimated combined resources of well...
High prices offset lower production for Timah
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...
Columbus to float Heemskirk project
Columbus Metals Limited is planning a September IPO on the Australian Stock Exchange as a basis for developing the Heemskirk (formerly known as Zeehan) mine project in Tasmania. The deposit was identified by Aberfoyle Ltd in the early 1980s and has a (non-JORC)...
Van Dieman Mines new progress report
Van Dieman Mines has issued a new update on plans for its two mine projects in Tasmania. The Scotia and Endurance projects, with a combined planned capacity of some 1,300 tpy have been the subject of a major operational review and are not now expected to in commercial...
China imports up 20%, exports down 100%
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...
Final Vinto Ausmelt contract signed
Ausmelt Ltd has signed the third and final contract, licensing its Ausmelt technology to Empresa Metalurgica Vinto, under a A$4.3 million deal for a new tin smelter at Oruro in Bolivia. The contract covers the supply of equipment and site services. In a statement to...