Amur Minerals has entered into a memorandum of cooperation with Gefco that could see the transport requirements addressed for both construction and operation of the Kun-Manie nickel-copper project in Russia’s Far East.

Kun-Manie is in the Amur Oblast of Russia, 700 km northeast of the capital city of Blagoveshchensk on the Chinese border. As a result, transport and logistics are two of the most important aspects of the project’s development.

The MoC with Gefco, owned 75% by JSC Russian Railways, will include, but is not limited to:

• Multimodal transportation by rail, road, sea and air for construction and infrastructure projects, supply of mining operation equipment
• Domestic and international deliveries of saleable products by rail and sea (including to Asian markets of China, Japan and South Korea)
• Loading, unloading works and customs handling for both inbound and outbound flows
• Compliance with operational supply chain requirements, provision of support and technology
• Compliance with rail siding requirements and development
• Transport and logistics advisory support to third parties.

Kun-Manie is the largest undeveloped and “drill-proven” nickel-copper sulphide deposit in Asia, according to Amur.

It has a measured and indicated resource base of 109 million tonnes at 0.66 % nickel and 0.18 % copper for 721,300 t of nickel and 197,400 t of copper, respectively. Last month, the company said this equates to 18 years of production at a six million tonnes per annum production rate.

A March investor presentation pegged Kun-Manie development in 2020 and full production in 2023.

On the MOC with Gefco, Robin Young, CEO of Amur Minerals, said: “The transport and logistical requirements for Kun-Manie are multifaceted, covering three key considerations of project construction, mine operation and sale of product.”

Valeria Seledkova, General Director of Gefco Russia, said the development of Kun-Manie would contribute significantly to the regional development of the Far East.

“The project requires an intricate approach, and with the MOC signed, we’re ready to develop tailor-made logistic solutions.”

Back in March, Amur Minerals completed the construction of a 350 km-long ice road from the Ulak station, on the Baikal – Amur rail line, to Kun-Manie.