London Mining started up the process plant—shown here at night—serving its Marampa iron ore operation in
Sierra Leone in late 2011 and plans to produce an estimated 1.8 million mt of concentrate from it in 2012.
(Photo courtesy of London Mining)

Marampa production will ramp up to more than 160,000 mt of concentrate per month during the first half of 2012, and full-year production is expected to total 1.8 million mt. London Mining’s “Pride of Marampa” transshipment ves-sel will be commissioned during the first quarter of 2012, enabling the loading of Capesize vessels.

London Mining has undertaken a review of capital and operating costs as it looks to optimize full Phase 1 capacity at Marampa to 4 million mt/y of concentrate and then to in-crease to 11.5 million mt/y as part of a Phase 2a expansion. Long-range planning calls for eventual expansion to 16 million mt/y.

Phase 1 cash costs are estimated at $35/mt of concentrate FOB at the 4-mil-lion mt/y run rate. The company is confi-dent it can achieve operating costs of about $30/mt of concentrate FOB over the life of the mine once project optimizations and expansions are realized.

A new JORC-compliant Marampa re-source statement for the year ending December 31, 2011, and updated Phase 1 and Phase 2 development schedules were planned for release in January 2012. Bateman Engineering has been appointed to complete a bankable feasibility study for the Phase 2a expansion, with completion of the study expected by mid-year 2012.