Kimberly Mineral Sands (KMS) has completed its maiden shipment of zircon concentrate from Port Hedland, Western Australia.
The shipment contained approximately 300 tonnes of bagged non-magnetic zircon concentrate, sourced from the company’s Thunderbird Mineral Sands project in northwest WA.
The company has said it is now ahead of its production schedule for the final quarter of the 2023-24 financial year (FY23).
Preparations are now underway for additional bagged shipments and the commencement of bulk shipping from Broome during the quarter.
KMS is held in an equal joint venture between Sheffield Resources and Chinese investment company Yansteel.
The company credited the back loading of otherwise empty containers from Port Hedland to China, and the utilisation of trucks already transporting rotainers from the port to Broome and back, as key to achieving cost-effective shipping.
Ahead of quarterly production statistics to be released at the end of January, the company said a ramp-up in operations is progressing well.
“We wish to congratulate the Kimberly Mineral Sands team and thank our offtake customers for this milestone achievement of first revenue for the Thunderbird Mineral Sands mine,” Sheffield executive chair Bruce Griffin said.
“With KMS production ramp-up progressing very well, we look forward to delivering further increased volumes of product to our customers in the coming weeks and months ahead.”
The Thunderbird project boasts one of the largest high-grade mineral sands deposits discovered in the last 30 years.
Operations began at the site in October 2023, with the project expected to produce a suite of mineral sands concentrate products.
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