Canadian mining company, Ivanhoe Mines, has announced its inaugural shipment of copper concentrate from the Kamoa-Kakula Copper Complex utilizing the Lobito Atlantic Rail Corridor.
The shipment includes 1,100 tons of copper concentrate mined in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and exported to international markets, leveraging a shorter and more cost-effective route that runs from the DRC to Angola. The shipment took eight days to reach Angola’s Port of Lobito, compared with the 25 days previously required to reach South Africa’s Port of Durban by road.
The shipment is part of a pilot project initiated following a Memorandum of Understanding signed last August between Lobito Atlantic International and Kamoa Copper. The project is assessing the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, transportation costs and operational time by using the Lobito Corridor to transport up to 10,000 tons of copper concentrate mined from Phases 1 and 2 of the Kamoa-Kakula project.
“Our first trial shipment is an important milestone on the path to creating a new supply chain linking the Central African Copperbelt to world markets. Establishing a reliable, modern rail link to the Port of Lobito in Angola will have transformational benefits for the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola and Zambia,” stated Ivanhoe Mines’ Founder and Executive Co-Chairman, Robert Friedland.
