PERTH (miningweekly.com) – ASX-listed Mount Gibson would ship its first ore from the Koolan Island hematite project, in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, during the second half of April.
CEO Peter Kerr on Wednesday told Mining Weekly Online on the sidelines of the Global Iron and Steel forecast, in Perth, that the company was targeting shipments at a rate of around 700 000 t/y for the June quarter, and up to one-million tonnes a year for the 2019 financial year.
Kerr said that following the ramp-up of operations at Koolan Island, Mt Gibson’s focus would likely shift to acquisition opportunities in the bulk commodity areas of iron-ore, coking coal, and possibly in base metals, as the company had experience in the sector.
“We made some fairly detailed approaches and have looked at acquisitions over the last few years, but nothing recently because we have been focused on Koolan Island.
“But come full production at Koolan Island, and this is likely in the second half of the year, we will be more active on that front. We are already looking at a number of companies and looking at ways to get involved, but it is early stages,” Kerr said.
He noted that Mt Gibson’s preference would be to grow its business in Australia, but added that the company had "some international experience".