Noventa (LON:NVTA,TSX:NTA) has successfully finished the proving programme of tantalum concentrate shipments from its flagship Marropino tantalum mine in Mozambique.
The sixth and final proving shipment will be dispatched from the port of Nacala in Mozambique to the USA on or around February 3 2011.
All future shipments are expected to be at production scale following the introduction of the interim comminution that is expected to be installed ahead of schedule during February 2011.
Prior to April 2009, shipments made their way by road to Walvis Bay in Namibia, approximately circa 3,900 kilometres and 7-10 days from the Marropino mine, and were subject to frequently unreliable shipping movements that added delay and cost to the delivery. The company set out to use Mozambique's small but modern and efficient ports to reduce the shipping time. The port of Nacala is 600 kilometres from Marropino and overland transport there takes approximately six and a half hours.
The proving programme was designed to test shipping and export processes, to examine the main and alternative shipping routes and to confirm that Noventa had the appropriate approvals and licences to ship its material to its customers efficiently, and within the appropriate laws and regulations of the countries through which the shipment passes.
Following successful completion of this programme, the company now has a tested, proven and robust shipping process and procedure.
Chairman Eric Kohn commented: "Shipping tantalum concentrate from the Company's operational mine at Marropino to its clients' processing plants around the world is necessarily complex.
“Given the nature of the material and the need to comply with a host of complicated procedures, we are extremely pleased to have stress tested and finalised a process of tantalum concentrate shipment that will allow us to swiftly and economically deliver our product to consumers as we look to ramp up our production in the near future.”
A fortnight ago, Noventa said ongoing geological studies at Marropino have found that the currently mined main pegmatite ore body extends further than previously known. The extent of the tantalite mineralisation and the distribution and grade of tantalite in relation to the known zones of the main pegmatite are being tested by a diamond drilling programme, with results expected in March.
The group announced in the same statement that it would start more exploration work in January on the Marropino South deposit, with results expected to be available during the second quarter of 2011.