West Australia-based Mesa Minerals this week successfully sailed from being a miner to an ore-exporting company with long-term contracts on the horizon.
Its export this week to China of its inaugural shipment of manganese ore and its name-change this month from HiTech Energy mark a new start for Mesa.
The 24,000-tonne shipment was sourced from Mesa's Ant Hill project, 400km east of Port Hedland. The project is a joint venture with Auvex Resources.
Mesa managing director Alan Scott says the first shipment represented a very important step forward to attain a regular and long-term income stream.
``The achievement of this goal is seen as a complement to and a funding source for the company's parallel efforts to establish a second regular and long-term income stream from the secondary processing of the lower grade ore fractions mined at Ant Hill,'' he says.
``The lessons learned from the many problems encountered and overcome in achieving this first shipment will stand the company in good stead for the future.''
Mr Scott says the company will also soon learn about the performance of the ore when it becomes smelter feed in China.
He says this will allow Mesa to more precisely determine and supply the optimum grades of ore products to meet demands.
Mr Scott also thanked the people and businesses that helped Mesa reach its first shipment.
``Without their support we simply could not have achieved a successful outcome.''
The first shipment is the first from a trial production. Mesa now anticipates larger scale mining from Ant Hill and its second project, Sunday Hill, which were previously mined in the post-war period.
A second shipment to China is expected early in the New Year.
Mesa and Auvex are refining mine plans, planning road improvements and seeking quotes on infrastructure with contractors.
Source: Perth Now
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