Diamond Fields Renews Namibian Mining Operations
June 07, 15(IDEX Online News) – Diamond Fields International Ltd. has restarted offshore marine operations on its Namibian concessions through a joint venture with International Mining and Dredging South Africa (Pty.) Limited SPV1 (IMD), a subsidiary of International Mining and Dredging Holdings, Limited (IMDH) and an associate company of Nutam Pty Ltd. of Namibia.
The program will initially target mining concessions ML-138, ML-139 and ML-111 to ascertain the grade and size of diamond deposits, the available quality and diamond carat sizes, the nature of the overburden, the soils and the hard layer, and the economic and technical considerations for undertaking mining activities in the concession areas.
Initially, a survey vessel, The DP Star, will complete geophysical surveys in the concession areas. The second stage will use a sampling vessel to complete reconnaissance sampling of targets identified by the geophysical study. The third stage involves a sampling vessel to complete regional/bulk sampling and a preliminary resources assessment and preparation of a mining plan.
If the results are good enough, the fourth stage will consist of finalizing a mining plan and deploying a mining vessel to carry out mining.
"These are exciting times for DFI,” said DFI CEO Sybrand van der Spuy. “Getting back onto the water is a major milestone, which the company has worked towards for years. We have targeted a number of resource areas, with special interest in the palaeo-channel systems, that we intend to work up in the coming months with the intent of mining should results warrant."