Galena bails out Van Dieman Mines
A UK£5 million loan facility from Galena Special Situations Master Fund, part of the Trafigura group, has helped Van Dieman Mines narrowly avoid insolvency. VDM announced in mid-May that it had changed its plans to develop two tin mine projects in Tasmania and...
Tin misses out on LME contract changes
In a press release yesterday the London Metal Exchange announced that from 29 September prompt dates for five of the six primary metal contracts would be extended. The longest dated contracts for aluminium and copper will be pushed out to 123 months or 10 years from...
Renison commissioning underway
Commissioning of the Metals X Renison project in Tasmania commenced on 19 June, the company has announced. Metals X said in a statement that it “has successfully manned the project with all critical positions filled and is owner-operator of its underground...
China tin trade latest
Official May trade data released this week shows China as once again a net importer of refined tin. However the slump in tin metal exports has been partly offset by a big jump in exports in other forms. Refined tin exports in May were only 4.9 tonnes, 99.8% lower than...
PT Timah looks offshore
Indonesia’s PT Timah plans to boost the proportion of its tin production coming from offshore mining from 20% in 2007 to 50% by 2009, President Director Wachid Usman told Reuters on Tuesday. The company plans to build seven new small dredges with a total cost of...
Indonesia issues 19th tin export licence
Indonesia’s trade ministry has granted a nineteenth tin export licence, according to a Bloomberg report today. “We gave the license to PT Belitung Industri Sejahtera on June 10,” Hartojo Agus Tjahjono, the ministry's export director of mining and...
Paranapanema plans debt reduction, possible acquisitions
The board of Brazilian mining and metals group Paranapanema approved a capital increase on June 13 aimed at reducing the company's debt, according to Business News Americas. The group will raise between 381 and 645 million reais (US$234 - 396 million) from the issue...
Novosibirsk results improve
Russia's Novosibirsk Tin Works (NOK) reported that its operating profit increased to 36.1 million roubles (US$1.5 million) in the first quarter of 2008, up by 18% from the same period last year. In a statement reported by Interfax, the company said its operating...
China’s production, exports fall again in May
Preliminary official production and trade figures released today show a continuing decline in Chinese refined tin production and negligible exports for the fourth month in a row. National Bureau of Statistics data reported by Reuters shows May refined tin production...