Walkabout Resources Ltd (ASX:WKT) has passed another development milestone for the Lindi Jumbo Graphite Project with a shipment of mine processing and mobile equipment en route to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania and expected to arrive in the next 30 days.
This first shipment contains large processing plant equipment elements, a mobile crane, telehandler, front end loaders and 10 larger floatation cells.
Additionally, the consignment includes pre-cut steel plates for the raw ore, surge, fine ore and loader feed bins as well as various pre-assembled structural steel sections needed as per the construction schedule.
“Continues to deliver milestones”
Walkabout Resources CEO Andrew Cunningham said, “Lindi Jumbo continues to deliver milestones with its first consignment of plant and equipment en route by sea from China to Tanzania.
“Our team has worked tirelessly to manage these unprecedented times of fractured supply chains and transport vulnerabilities to ensure Lindi Jumbo’s construction schedule remains resilient.
“These persistent efforts stretched over three continents keeping us on budget and within the overall project development schedule - something that the entire team can be proud of.”
The second containerised consignment of equipment will leave China within a few days, with equipment manufacturing at Yantai Jinpeng Mining Machinery – WKT’s engineering, procurement and construction contractor – proceeding on schedule and within budget.
Similarly, construction progress on site is also within budget, remaining on schedule despite difficult global supply chain disruptions.
Earthworks, the access drift and mine boundary demarcation are all complete, with the run of mine (ROM) retaining wall, raw water pond and topsoil removal and stockpiling proceeding as planned.
Logistics appointment
Last month Walkabout appointed the Tanzanian logistics contractor responsible for the customs clearance of imported equipment through the port of Dar es Salaam, and subsequent transport to a holding warehouse and site as needed.
The Tanzanian logistics team, supported by Lindi Jumbo management in Dar es Salaam, together with Jinpeng and Axis Group in China are working collaboratively to ensure supply chain activities proceed as smoothly as possible.
Walkabout says the Lindi Jumbo team has been active in its local communities. The company has offered ongoing support for COVID-19 vaccine rollouts to educate and protect workers and communities in the project surrounds.
More than 200 community members have been vaccinated in December to date, in the villages of Matambarale, Namikulu and Namilema.
Lindi Jumbo has also committed to improve the local mine bypass road to an all-weather condition.