Modern Mining March 2020

TIN

Uis Tin Mine ramps up towards name-plate capacity

Having increased its processing plant output to 11 400 tonnes in January this year, Namibian-based Uis Tin Mine remains on track with throughput ramp-up to achieve nameplate capacity of 45 000 tonnes of ore to the plant and production of 60 tonnes of tin concentrate per month by the end of 2020. By Munesu Shoko .

A friTin Mining Limited (AIM: ATM), a tin mining company with a portfolio of assets in Namibia and South Africa, has made its maiden sale of tin concentrate from its flagship Uis hard-rock tin mine located in the Erongo region of Namibia. The first shipment – 6 tonnes (t) of tin concentrate more than 60% Sn metal contained – was deliv- ered to Thailand Smelting and Refining Company (Thaisarco) in February this year in line with the terms of the offtake agreement, as announced in August 2019. Under the off-take agreement concluded with AfriTin in August 2019, Thaisarco agreed to buy tin concentrate from the Uis mine for a period of a year. The agreement also includes an option to extend the off-take contract period beyond 12 months. At the time of writing, a second shipment of 20 t of tin concentrate had been dispatched from the mine. The concentrate was trucked to the port of Walvis Bay in Namibia before being shipped to Thailand. The offtake agreement provides for an

Anthony Viljoen, CEO of AfriTin Mining Limited.

80% prepayment for each shipment upon bill of lad- ing in Walvis Bay. Anthony Viljoen, CEO of AfriTin Mining Limited, says the first shipment of tin concentrate and first revenues from Uis Tin Mine in three decades marks a significant milestone for the company and the Erongo region of Namibia. “We will continue to deliver this operation as we ramp up production to nameplate of 60 t of tin concen- trate per month. Combined with a JORC-compliant

AfriTin is developing the project in two phases, with phase one involving an estimated capital expenditure of £7-million on a processing plant capable of producing 60 t of tin concentrate per month.

24  MODERN MINING  March 2020