JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Murray & Roberts Cementation has been awarded a contract for trackless, high-speed development at the Lubambe copper mine, in Zambia, which South Africa's African Rainbow Minerals jointly owns with Brazil’s Vale and Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines.

The project was scheduled to extend to January 2014, and was awarded to the South African firm following a successful decline-sinking projec at the mine that it completed last year at the mine.

The latest contract involved all horizontal and inclined development for trackless, high-speed technology in ramps three, four and five, situated in the mine’s Eastern limb. The Murray & Roberts Cementation team would continue the development of infrastructure for two conveyor belt systems and maintain the owner’s fleet of equipment.

Murray & Roberts Cementation senior project manager at Lubambe Wyllie Pearson said his project team was exceeding the development target. The first sand zone, which was 30 m wide, had been successfully negotiated and the second zone was currently being developed.

“Although the new employees gained experience with the mechanised equipment being used on this project during our first contract, it was necessary to elevate the competency level for the latest project,” Pearson said.

He added that Murray & Roberts Cementation had extended its training programme to include maintenance and rebuilding on the mechanical and electrical sides, civil and steel fixing and the efficient supply of services. The programme also covered the development of logistics required to achieve 1 450 m a month, as well as underground vehicle training.

The drill rigs were currently developing the target of about 1 450 m a month, while the load haul dumper and dump trucks were moving 63 500 t of ore and 32 500 t of waste on a monthly basis.