PERTH (miningweekly.com) – A second shipment of some 1 000 t of zircon concentrate from the Keysbrook mineral sands project, in Western Australia, was on its way to port, ASX-listed MZI Resources has reported.
The second shipment, which followed Keysbrook’s first shipment in late December of last year, was heading to China’s largest zircon processor. A further 4 500 t of zircon concentrate would also be shipped in February, MZI said on Friday.
In addition, the company had also confirmed its first two shipments of leucoxene product with major US customer Chemours.
“It's hard to think of a better way for us to start 2016 than by commencing leucoxene sales from the Keysbrook project. This important milestone formally establishes Keysbrook, and MZI, as the world’s foremost primary producer of this high value product,” said MZI MD Trevor Matthews.
The maiden shipment of leucoxene, totalling some 6 500 t, was due in the first week of March, with the second shipment of 9 000 t scheduled for the end of March, or early April.
MZI was also anticipating some 7 500 t of zircon shipments to be completed in the March quarter.
Subject to final shipping dates, MZI was targeting total product sales of up to 23 000 t during the March quarter, representing some 24% of the company’s average planned yearly production of 96 000 t of zircon and leucoxene products from the Keysbrook operation.
Currently, over 85% of all planned yearly production from Keysbrook is committed under offtake agreements, with around 13 000 t of leucoxene not yet committed, but able to be sold under spot sale arrangements.