Tag Archives: mining services

MLG Oz bolsters NSR Jundee work, adds Norton Gold Fields and Mincor to contract mix

Base metals, Bulk handling, Comminution of minerals, Mine operation news, Mining services, Precious metals, , , , , , , , , ,

MLG Oz says it continues to experience historically high levels of tendering opportunities for its suite of mining services, with three new integrated site services and haulage contracts recently added to its remit across its Western Australia operations.

MLG, which listed on the ASX earlier this year, says it offers a range of value added services from bulk haulage, crushing and screening, aggregate and sand supplies through to export logistics.

At Northern Star’s Jundee gold operation in Western Australia, the company has been awarded preferred contractor status for an expansion of its services, providing integrated site support and haulage capacity at the mine. Subject to negotiation and execution, this new three-year contract is expected to commence around August and deliver some A$12 million/y ($9.2 million/y) in revenue.

The scope of works will consist of integrated site support to the company’s mill feed operations from both its Jundee central underground mines and its regional satellite operations, MLG said. It will see the ASX-listed contractor conduct all crusher feed, bulk haulage and site civil works for the operations under its integrated operating platform.

MLG has added two new clients to its roster, too – Norton Gold Fields and Mincor Resources.

Norton Gold Fields has chosen MLG as its successful tenderer to provide integrated site support services and haulage for its Paddington gold operation over a three-year period expected to commence in September. Revenue from this opportunity is estimated to be around A$14 million/y, with formal contract documentation anticipated to be finalised in the coming weeks.

And, in line with MLG’s desire to broaden its service offering across different commodities and, in particular, the battery metals space, it has executed a contract with Mincor Resources for the provision of the logistics services associated with its Kambalda nickel operation. The contract is expected to deliver approximately A$3 million/y in revenue over four years and is expected to commence in the March quarter of 2022.

Reviewing these contract awards, MLG Founder, Managing Director and majority shareholder, Murray Leahy, said: “We are very pleased to be given the opportunity to continue to support and grow with Northern Star which has been a long-standing customer of MLG.

“We are delighted that the Norton Gold Fields Board has selected MLG to support the Paddington processing facility. The mill is 35 km northwest of Kalgoorlie and aligns very strongly with our existing Kalgoorlie network.

“Our new contract at the Kambalda operations is an important first step for MLG in developing a longer-term relationship with Mincor in support of its goal of being a key supplier of nickel to the emerging battery metals market.”

In addition to announcing these contract awards, MLG also provided a market update on its crushing and screening activities.

It said: “MLG’s crushing and screening operations, which account for 20% of MLG’s forecast financial year 2021 revenue of A$241.6 million, have experienced a reduction in available material to process from several clients across the last quarter of financial year 2021, due to production constraints at various client operations. We anticipate this will negatively impact the crushing and screening revenue in the first half of financial year 2022. Despite this, and given the company’s current pipeline, including as evidenced above, the board expects the overall impact of this to be mitigated in the second half of financial year 2022.”

Alliance secures BHP Olympic Dam connection with contract extension

Base metals, Mine operation news, Mining services, Precious metals, , , , , , ,

Alliance Aviation Services says it has signed a contract extension with BHP Olympic Dam for a period of three years with two 12-month extension options, permitting a full term of up to five years.

The extension will see Alliance continue to operate charter services for the BHP Olympic Dam mine site operations, in South Australia, as well as scheduled services supporting the local community of Roxby Downs.

Alliance has been servicing Olympic Dam and the Roxby Downs community since 2007 and, if exercised for the full term, by the end of this contract extension, will see continuous operations in support of Olympic Dam, by Alliance, of at least 19 years.

The contract will see the introduction of Fokker 100 jet aircraft, a 100 passenger seat aircraft, into Olympic Dam Airport to coincide with the significant upgrades currently going on at the airport, which are due for completion in February 2021.

The introduction of larger capacity aircraft will provide ongoing savings to both Alliance and BHP Olympic Dam, provide BHP Olympic Dam with greater scalability for future growth plans and provide greater comfort for all passengers, Alliance said.

Alliance’s Chief Executive Officer, Lee Schofield, said: “Alliance is delighted to be in a position to provide jet services into Roxby Downs. Passengers will enjoy a smoother, quieter and, more importantly, a quicker flight between Adelaide and Roxby Downs with a reduction of 20 minutes, or 25%.

“Since our first service into Olympic Dam in 2007, we have safely transported in excess of 1 million passengers with industry leading on time performance throughout the past 14 years. Alliance has also been an active participant in the local community with staff living in the local community and actively participating in local community events.

“We are also the largest provider of air charter services to the BHP group, servicing mines in South Australia, Western Australia and Queensland.”

In May 2019, BHP presented Alliance with an Aviation Safety Award in recognition of the safe carriage of 3.5 million BHP staff and contractors on charter and scheduled services since the company’s first charter flight for BHP in April 2002.

Decmil looks to enter water, power sectors with Avid Resources tie-up

Mining services, Water management, , ,

Decmil, in support of its overall strategy, has entered a strategic partnership with Avid Resources to further enhance its integrated service offerings and provide access to the water and power sectors.

Avid Resources is a multi-disciplinary business providing market-leading construction and maintenance for metals and minerals projects; end-to-end electrical, instrumentation and control solutions; and extensive design, civil, mechanical and electrical experience across water treatment plants and wastewater treatment facilities.

Through this strategic partnership, Decmil and Avid will be able to leverage their respective capabilities providing a fully integrated solution, Decmil says.

Avid says it has a proven track record of successfully delivering medium and large projects for the mining and process industries. Its capabilities include innovative modular construction solutions and integrated structural, mechanical, piping, electrical and instrumentation services.

Mondium chooses Kerman Contracting for Rio Tinto WTS2 work

Mineral project development, Mining services, Steel and iron ore, , , , , , ,

Kerman Contracting is to work on Rio Tinto’s in-development Western Turner Syncline 2 (WTS2) iron ore project, in Western Australia, following a contract award from Mondium.

Mondium was last month awarded a contract to design and construct the WTS2 mine in the Pilbara of Western Australia. It has since agreed to contract out the design, construction and commissioning of non-process infrastructure facilities and an explosives compound to Kerman as part of a circa-A$55 million ($37 million) agreement.

The construction works are due to start in the June quarter, with the contract comprising a fixed plant workshop complete with amenities and office buildings, a heavy vehicle diesel storage and refuelling facility and two remote facility buildings inclusive of offices, ablutions and crib rooms as well as an ammonium nitrate and emulsion storage facility and explosives compound.

Kerman’s Managing Director, Chris Kerman, said: “We are excited about the opportunity to work with Mondium at the WTS2 project and looking forward to building a strong and lasting business relationship with Mondium.

“This contract award builds on Kerman’s previous successful project outcomes in the Pilbara region in particular for Rio Tinto and other major mining companies.”

Back in November, Rio said it would invest $749 million in the development of WTS2 at its Greater Tom Price operations, facilitating mining of existing and new deposits and including construction of a new crusher as well as a 13 km conveyor.

Perenti considering further Australia mining services consolidation

Mining mergers and acquisitions, Mining services, , , , ,

In response to media speculation, Perenti has confirmed it is “currently giving consideration” to the potential purchase of Downer EDI’s mining services division.

“The process is ongoing and Perenti would only put forward an offer to acquire the business if it were to align with its strategy and deliver value for the company’s shareholders,” it said.

Downer confirmed in November that it would be undertaking a portfolio review “to determine whether there are opportunities to enhance the alignment” of its portfolio, noting that an important area of focus for the review was the mining business.

Perenti, a global mining services firm, has expanded substantially in the past few years, acquiring Barminco in late 2018 to become Australia’s second-largest mining services company.

Westgold Resources gets uses to village life with Sodexo

Mine operation news, Mining services, Precious metals, , , , , , , ,

Sodexo is set to deliver more services for Westgold Resources after the two companies agreed to broaden their contract to include a fourth mine site in Western Australia.

This contract amendment, which will see the company start work on the Big Bell site, increases the value of Sodexo’s current contract with the Australia-based gold miner to A$40 million ($27.2 million).

Under this contract, Sodexo is scoped to deliver all village, transportation, catering, cleaning, building maintenance and landscaping services at the site.

The Big Bell site, located 24 km northwest of Cue in Western Australia, was launched on June 1, 2019, to support operations at the Big Bell underground mine, as part of the larger Cue gold operations. This would see daily commute times reduced, while ensuring worker facilities are readily available.

Westgold hit first ore at the Big Bell underground mine late last year. It had been dewatering and refurbishing the Big Bell underground mine for over two years. The base load for the Cue 10-year development plan is based around the Big Bell underground mine – which is expected to provide 10.1 Mt at 3 g/t Au from the company’s 2020 financial year.

Sodexo’s existing work with Westgold to provide services to the Cue, Fortnum and Bluebird mining sites is part of a three-year contract that commenced in June 2018. The Big Bell contract will conclude in 2021 in alignment with the contract for these sites.

Westgold Director of Operations, Steve Norregaard, said: “Sodexo continues to demonstrate its commitment to maintaining safety and quality operations for our mining workforce. The Big Bell mine is accelerating fast to become the cornerstone asset in the Cue operations. Sodexo’s facilities management services to the Big Bell mine site give us peace of mind that workers will be provided access to high-quality facilities and a home-away-from-home experience.”

Sodexo CEO Mining APAC, Paul Cooper, said: “Australian mining is a sector where Sodexo continues to excel. The company successfully demonstrated its dedication to service excellence by improving village life across three of Westgold’s existing sites and this supported our proposal for Big Bell. Being awarded the Big Bell contract is testament to a strong working relationship with Westgold, after acquiring Morris Corporation that had previously held the contract for three years.”

Civeo captures Western Australia mining market share with Action buy

Mining mergers and acquisitions, Mining services, , , , ,

Civeo Corp says it has acquired Action Industrial Catering, a provider of catering and managed services to the remote mining industry in Western Australia.

Civeo, a provider of hospitality services with prominent market positions in the Canada oil sands and the Australia natural resource regions, said: “The acquisition significantly enhances Civeo Australia’s service offering and geographic footprint by providing an entry point into the growing integrated services opportunities in the Western Australian remote mining market.”

Established in 1995, Action is based in Perth, Australia, and currently operates around 900,000 room nights per year for iron ore, gold, nickel and battery mineral producers. Among its contracts is an agreement with Fortescue Metals Group for catering and support services for the miner’s 1,850 room Kangi Village, based within the Solomon Hub operations in the Pilbara of Western Australia (pictured).

“This acquisition brings contract visibility and strong relationships with top tier customers in Western Australia who are poised to benefit significantly from market trends, including expansionary projects in Western Australian iron ore and increasing global demand for lithium-ion batteries,” Civeo said.

Bradley J Dodson, Civeo’s President and Chief Executive Officer, said: “This acquisition significantly bolsters our Australian segment, providing a strategic foothold in the large integrated services and Western Australian markets, further strengthening Civeo’s market position as an integrated service provider across Australia.”

He continued: “Our acquisition of Action underlines our focus on pursuing growth opportunities that fit within our core competencies and strategic direction, while further enabling organic growth opportunities. Importantly, we are well-positioned to continue to capitalise on opportunities to grow our catering and managed services footprint in Australia as we maintain our commitment to top-tier service for all of our customers.”

SRG Global wins Whyalla Steelworks refractory contract

Comminution of minerals, Mine operation news, Mineral processing, Mining services, Steel and iron ore, , , , , , , , , ,

SRG Global says it has finalised a long-term contract with GFG Liberty OneSteel to provide refractory services throughout the Whyalla Steelworks site in South Australia.

The services incorporate the pellet plant, ironmaking, steelmaking and steel products assets, according to SRG Global, with the contract for an initial four-year term with options for a further two-year extension.

The engineering-led specialist construction, maintenance and mining services group said works under this contract are expected to generate revenue of around A$45 million ($31 million) over the six-year term, or some $30 million over the initial four-year term.

“The contract is clear evidence of the benefits that are being delivered through the creation of SRG Global, an engineering-led specialist construction, maintenance and mining services group operating across the entire asset life cycle,” SRG said.

Last year, Global Construction Services and SRG carried out a merger to create SRG Global.

The award of this refractory services contract at Whyalla Steelworks will complement existing works being undertaken by SRG Global’s Mining Services division, which has been operating in the region since 2012, the company added.

SRG Global Managing Director, David Macgeorge, said the contract highlighted the company’s depth of experience in complex asset services and is “further evidence of the diverse capabilities we offer as a combined entity”.

He added: “The contract award is significant in that it aligns with SRG Global’s long-term strategy of securing a greater proportion of recurring revenue contracts in the asset services sector. It is also a considerable achievement in leveraging our refractory services expertise to significantly bolster work in hand.”

thyssenkrupp boosts Australia mining service offering with new Brisbane facility

Bulk handling, Comminution of minerals, Mining equipment, Mining services, , , , , ,

thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions says it has opened a new service centre in Brisbane, Australia, which is ideally located to support its customer base on the East Coast of Australia as well as clients in Oceania using major logistics channels through the Queensland capital.

The facility, opened on May 14, is the result of a roughly A$1 million ($1.1 million) investment, the company said. It includes a 350 sq.m office and 1,000 sq.m of warehouse and workshop space with room for 30 employees. “The portfolio includes, among others, the warehousing and servicing of wear and spare parts, equipment refurbishments, engineering and field services and revamps,” the company said.

thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions says it offers mining companies “tailored, cost-efficient and responsible solutions for mining, processing, handling raw materials”.

Donald Weir, CEO of the Service business unit of thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions, said the company is continuously expanding its service offerings in these regions in order to offer the best possible service to its customers.

“Through our investment in Brisbane, we make sure that also our customers on the East Coast of Australia profit from the knowledge and experience thyssenkrupp’s global service network offers,” he said.

Andrew Howie, CEO of thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions Australia, said the new facility enables the company to co-locate its engineering and project staff with service personnel.

“For our clients in the mining, cement and chemical industries, this means they benefit from an integrated project lifecycle approach, incorporating the latest products and technologies,” he said. “After having worked successfully with our customers in Australia for many years, this investment was a logical consequence.”

CWT ERM launches new version of travel workflow management platform

IoT, Mining services, , , ,

CWT Energy, Resources and Marine has launched a new version of ERM mobility, a workflow management platform that allows companies to manage complex travel needs through one single interface.

The company, a unit of global travel management company CWT, said the new release helps reduce complexity, speed up processes, boost safety and save money.

Raphaël Pasdeloup, Senior VP and Global Head of CWT Energy, Resources & Marine, said: “Travel in the energy, resources and marine industry can be a hugely complicated business, involving crew rotations to the world’s most difficult places via commercial flights, chartered planes, helicopters, or speedboats, fleets of buses, camp and site accommodation, and dozens of different service providers. ERM mobility ties it all together, making travel simple.

According to Pasdeloup, the company’s clients save around 15%, spend up to 75% less time on booking – and “get much more control over their travel programme”.

CWT said: “ERM mobility consolidates all the myriad data sources and processes into a single seamless workflow, with all the complexity hidden away behind an easy-to-use interface. CWT ERM can, thus, provide travellers with a fully-integrated booking solution, which looks and handles like a consumer-grade product.”

Logistics coordinators use a single touchpoint to access all aspects of commercial and remote site travel management, according to the company. Meanwhile, travel managers get accurate, real-time information on each traveller, enabling them to react quickly and effectively in emergencies like extreme weather events, industrial accidents, or security incidents.

The company concluded: “By combining and consolidating all the data flows involved in travel – commercial and specialist, global and local – the ERM mobility platform also delivers clean, consistent data for financial reporting, efficient workforce management and optimisation of travel spend.”