Nippon Steel hires Mike Pompeo to advise on US Steel deal
Nippon Steel also faces objections from the powerful United Steelworkers (USW) union, which fears the deal could lead to job losses.
London Mining’s (LON:LOND) announced Tuesday eight of its employees have left the company’s Marampa Mine in Sierra Leone due to an outbreak of the Ebola virus.
The company said production has not been affected and no cases in communities around the mine have been identified, but it has also restricted non-essential travel and advised employees on holiday not to return.
Marampa is about 120 km from Freetown, the capital of the West African nation.
Reuters reports in May Sierra Leone recorded five deaths from the haemorrhagic fever that “is believed to have killed around 185 people in neighbouring Guinea and Liberia since March.”
Marampa’s full year production last year came in at 3.4 million wet metric tonnes (Mwmt), a 108% increase year on year according to the company’s Q4 2013 production report.
The Marampa mine is a brownfields site formerly operated by the Sierra Leone Development Company (DELCO) and William Baird between 1933 and 1975. Marampa reached a peak production of 2.5mtpa before low iron ore prices forced its closure.
Continuing weak market economics and civil war prevented redevelopment of the mine until the mining licence was acquired by London Mining in 2006.
London Mining is also developing projects in Greenland and Saudi Arabia.
London Mining acquired Marampa Mine in 2006.
