Metro Mining (ASX:MMI) has completed its wet season maintenance at the Bauxite Hills Mine in Cape York in North Queensland during the project’s shutdown for operations to restart today (11 March).
The company has conducted all of the required inspections at the mine and serviced the mining fleet, pontoon, and barge loading facility.
The restart of operations at Bauxite Hills will focus on pre-stripping activities, grade control, and road maintenance, with around 20,000 wet metric tonnes (WMT) of bauxite pre-loaded on barges and 150,000 WMT on run of mine stockpile.
Metro has a shipment guidance of between 6.6 and 7.1 million WMT for 2026, with shipping expected to ramp-up in mid-March.
The company intends to focus on offtake agreements and long-term freight contracts in Q2 2026. Freight contracts will contain fixed charter and bunker fuel rates so the company can make profit in the current environment.
Meanwhile, Metro is focusing on enhancing the Ikamba dry-dock, by ensuring it is reliable and provides throughput rates across 2026 and beyond.
The Ikamba program is 40% complete with mandatory structural and safety inspections completed. Metro is currently conducting refurbishment tasks, including the replacement of the Crane No. 2 slew bearing, luffing cylinder and gearbox replacement, hull blasting and painting, and winch repair.
Ikamba is expected to depart the shipyard later this month before returning to operating duty at Bauxite Hills before the end of April.
Metro Mining is a bauxite producer, focused on its 100% owned Bauxite Hills Mine north of Weipa, near the coast of the Skardon River in North Queensland.
Write to Maddison Elliott at Mining.com.au
Images: Metro Mining
