Little progress on Indonesian moratorium plan
As LME and ICDX tin prices have fallen to new lows this week, the proposal by Bangka Belitung Governor Rustam Effendi to halt sales for two months or longer is making little headway, according to reports by Bloomberg and Reuters today. The governor first raised the...
ITRI builds membership committed to a sustainable industry
ITRI, the international tin industry association, has recently completed a strategic review of its activities and is pleased to announce that both ITRI and its members have strengthened their commitment to the development of a modern, responsible and sustainable...
Vinto expansion officially inaugurated
Bolivian President Evo Morales was present at the official opening ceremony for the new Ausmelt furnace operated by Empresa Metalúrgica Vinto (EMV) last Thursday, 5 February. The Ausmelt furnace, delayed by technical problems since last year, will enable the smelter...
Cinovec metallurgical testing yields promising results
European Metals Holdings Ltd. (ASX : EMH) has announced the completion of metallurgical testing at the Cinovec Tin Project in the Czech Republic, with results suggesting potential tin recoveries of 80%. Additionally, 98% recovery of lithium by flotation to concentrate...
China tin ores and concentrates imports up 50% in 2014
China imported a massive 177,950t (gross weight) of tin ores and concentrates in 2014, of which more than 97% was from Myanmar. ITRI estimates that the tin content of imported ore was around 28,000t, up by 50% compared with 2013. This is by far the highest annual...
Regulatory controls to constrain Indonesian exports in 2015
A new survey carried out by Bloomberg suggests that Indonesian tin exports could fall to around 61,000 tonnes this year due to tighter controls on mining operations. This is a drop of some 20% compared to a preliminary trade ministry estimate of 2014 exports of 75,925...
Rwanda smelter starts trial production
Rwanda's state mining minister Evode Imena has told Reuters that a new tin smelter has started a 10 day pilot production programme as part of a plan to boost mineral export earnings. Mining is Rwanda's second biggest foreign income earner after tourism, and its mines...
Renison production to rise further
In an interview with Bloomberg, Metals X CEO Peter Cook said that production from the company's joint-venture Renison mine in Tasmania could rise to around 8,000 tonnes in 2015, while a decision on a tailings treatment project was due in six months. The ownership of...
Low costs and tailings project help maintain Minsur rating
Fitch Ratings has affirmed its credit rating of Minsur SA at BBB-, with a stable outlook. Minsur was initially rated by Fitch and Moody's a year ago in the run up to a US$450 million bond issue. In a statement Fitch said that low production costs, a forecast modest...