RBM update10 Apr 2018 19:06
10 Apr 18 - Richards Bay Mineral ("RBM") anounced that they had to suspend zircon sand production from March 28, 2018.
It is reported that the access to Richards Bay Minerals smelting complex and mining site in South Africa has been forcefully blocked by protestors since March 28, 2018. The road blockages have adversely impacted on the safety of RBM's overall activities hence a decision was made to suspend all operations at the RBM until further notice.
RBM, located in uThungulu District Municipality of KwaZulu Natal in South Africa, has an annual capacity of 250,000t for zircon sand. Of this, 95 per cent is exported, yielding a total market share of about 33 per cent of the world's zircon output. In 2018, it is expected that they would produce no more than 100kt of zircon sands. In 2017, they produced around 150kt of zircon sands, with basically no stock in Chinese bonded warehouses now.
According to Asian Metal, current import prices of South African zircon sand 66%min (ZUG) keep at around USD1,480-1,500/t CIF China