Bauxite and mineral sands junior Metallica says the maiden shipment from its barging and transhipping site on the west coast of Cape York demonstrates the viability of its Urquhart project in Far North Queensland.
Metallica is gearing up to have first bauxite exports from its Urquhart project by the first half of 2017.
It is in an agreement with, and provided a short term loan to, private bauxite junior Green Coast Resources, so GCR could develop the transhipping facility at Hey Point, near Weipa (not to be confused with Hay Point, the coal export facility on Queensland’s east coast).
The Hey Point facility relies on a conveyor system on a 70 metre jetty, which loads the self-propelled MV IronClad I barge, for transhipping to an export vessel.
GCR recently exported its first bauxite from the Hey Point facility, and is now bound to provide transhipping services and access to Metallica to export bauxite once Urquhart is up and running.
Metallica boss Simon Slesarewich said the maiden shipment was positive news for the ASX-listed junior.
“Metallica congratulates GCR in becoming the first independent company to export bauxite from Cape York since 1963,” Slesarewich said.
“The ability to tranship bauxite into ocean going export vessels, utilising the Hey Point barge loading facility, validates Metallica’s decision to choose the low capital cost and established facilities at Hey Point as its logistics solution for Urquhart Bauxite,” he added.
“The established and now tested infrastructure delivers a real solution to export markets for bauxite product from our project.”