"We are seeing a lot more opportunity on the continent in terms of new projects."
Allan Widlake, Business Development Manager, Murray & Roberts Cementation

UNDERGROUND MINING PLATFORM IS THE SINGLE MOST ACTIVE SHAFT SINKING GROUP IN THE WORLD OUTSIDE OF CHINA

The Underground Mining platform has not only grown its order book, but with 22 active shaft projects underway globally, it is the single most active shaft sinking group in the world outside of China.

The platform comprises the following businesses: Murray & Roberts Cementation, based in Johannesburg; Cementation Canada, based in North Bay; Cementation USA, based in Salt Lake City; Cementation Sudamérica, based in Santiago and RUC Cementation Mining, headquartered in
Kalgoorlie.

The platform is also credited with a number of achievements including the deepest single-lift shaft sunk in South Africa, at South Deep, the deepest single-lift shaft in the USA, at Resolution Copper Mine, and the deepest shaft in Canada, at Kidd Mine. It is currently sinking what will be the deepest shaft in the USA, at Lucky Friday.

AFRICAN BUSINESS UPDATE

Allan Widlake, Business Development Manager at Murray & Roberts Cementation says it is focused on West, Southern and East Africa as its primary target markets. “The
company has opened offices in Zambia and Ghana and has entered into partnership with a local Central African industrial group.”

“In Zambia, Murray & Roberts Cementation is blind sinking and equipping the main shaft at Mopani Copper Mines’ Synclinorium Shaft as well as high speed development and shaft sinking at the Mufulira Deeps expansion project also for Mopani Copper Mines,” continues Widlake.

In South Africa, Murray & Roberts Cementation is delivering a twin vertical and single decline shaft at Sasol’s Impumelelo coal mine. At Petra Diamonds Cullinan mine, the company is deepening the No. 1 and 3 shafts in addition to slope and line development. Work has also begun on blind sinking a ventilation shaft at Assmang’s Gloria mine.

“We are seeing a lot more opportunity on the continent in terms of new projects and while our order book has grown, we are hopeful to add additional projects in the short term,” concludes Widlake.

CEMENTATION USA SINKS THE DEEPEST LIFT SHAFT IN THE UNITED STATES

Cementation USA has completed sinking the deepest single lift shaft in the United States at the Resolution Copper Project in Superior, Arizona. With a finished diameter of 28 feet (8.5 m), the No.10 shaft was sunk to a final depth of 6 943 feet (2 116 m) below surface.

“Congratulations to the entire team, past and present, who have worked on the Resolution Copper Project,” said Justin Oleson, President of Cementation USA. “Completion of the No.10 shaft may not receive as much fanfare as some of the more visible wonders of the world, but the technical expertise and operational focus required to complete this project is certainly on the same level.”

“The successful completion of No.10 Shaft at Resolution is an achievement that the Cementation and Resolution Copper team should be extremely proud of,” said Mike Nadon, Senior Executive at Cementation USA. “The many technical challenges were overcome with good engineering and planning and our crews executed the plan with sincere regard for each other’s safety and consistent effort despite some very difficult conditions.”

 

"The successful completion of No.10 Shaft at Resolution is an achievement that the Cementation and Resolution Copper team should be extremely proud of. "
Mike Nadon, Executive, Cementation USA

CEMENTATION CANADA ENGAGED AS PRIME CONTRACTOR FOR COMPASS MINERALS

Cementation Canada has been issued a letter of intent by Compass Minerals to carry out the shaft rehabilitation and upgrades of two mine shafts at their mine in Goderich, Ontario. The letter of intent will allow engineering on the work to commence while a contract is finalised.

When the tenders were submitted for the shaft upgrade project, Cementation Canada proposed some alternate approaches to the design and installation of the new liners, which reduced risk to the mine operations and were of interest to Compass Minerals. Further work with the Compass Minerals technical team continues to examine innovative approaches that will add value to the project.

“We are very pleased to be working with Compass Minerals and the Goderich mine team on this significant and technically challenging project. The Cementation group has a long history of work at the salt mine and we recognise the importance of this project to Compass Minerals and the operations,” said Roy Slack, President of Cementation Canada.

The current Cementation Canada group was formed in 1998, but a former Cementation group sunk the original shafts: the number 1 shaft completed in 1959 and the number 2 shaft in 1968.