By Aruna Turay

Sierra Mineral Holdings 1 Limited (SMHL) otherwise known as VIMETCO has commenced loading of its first Cape-size vessel (MV Star Angie) to export premium washed bauxite from Sierra Leone.

During the last more than a decade, VIMETCO is well known for the exportation of world-class premium bauxite to its parent holding in Supramax vessels only.

VIMETCO’s Mine Manager, Tommy Lee Jones said this is the Company’s first Cape-size vessels to be loaded since inception over a decade.

With the role to produce and haul bauxite cost effectively, timely and safely as per production monthly plan, Tommy said the cape-size vessel holds approximately 180,000 metric tonnes of which twice of this quantity should be mine to produce the commercial bauxite.

MV Star Angie (Loa/LBP/Breadth – 292/282/45.00 and DWT 177,931 metric tons) is the first vessel of its class ever in the history of Sierra Leone’s bauxite export is being attempted to load in the corridor of Sherbro River (Buoy 03 and Buoy 01).

VIMETCO Management strived to change its business model from Supra to Cape bulk carrier with a vision that this change in the export model will be linked to benefit of the economics of scale by bringing down its freight cost, making SMHL bauxite competitive globally and opening new markets for Sierra Leone bauxite.

This is the result of a visionary resilient aggressive management strategy and is going to be one of the significant milestones in the history of SMHL in Sierra Leone.

VIMETCO carried out the necessary logistic studies to identify the anchorage points in the deeper sea where the Cape can be safely loaded. Also mobilised the required Transhipper Floating Crane and associated fleet to facilitate loading in the deeper sea to the gearless cape vessel from transhipping river fleet consists of VIMETCO own fleet and additional fleet which were also brought in to enhance loading performance.

SMHL Management is determined to make this a “new bauxite export model” going forward from SMHL.