Vale maintains production of coal, Mozambique’s main export

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Vale maintains production of coal, Mozambique’s main export

1:22 CAT | 09 Apr 2020

in file CoM

The mining multinational Vale is maintaining production of coal, Mozambique’s main export product, although 700 workers and family members have returned to their countries of origin due to the Covid-19 pandemic, a company source has told Lusa.

The mines in Moatize are “so far” operating without any slowdown in operations, and the same applies to the operation of the Northern logistics corridor, an official source said.

Vale is one of the largest companies in Mozambique, and mineral coal is the country’s main export product.

In recent weeks, the Brazilian multinational announced the implementation of travel and pandemic prevention operations to address the coronavirus.

Responding to Lusa’s questions, the company detailed that “in terms of manpower, Vale has about 2,942 workers at the Moatize mine, of which 9% are foreigners, predominantly Brazilians”.

As part of the actions launched, “around 700 people, including workers and their families,” had returned to their countries of origin. Vale Moçambique does not yet have figures for the impact of Covid-19 on the company’s accounts, the same source added.

In 2019, the Moatize mine produced eight million metric tons of coal, against 11.5 million metric tons in 2018.

Meanwhile, general maintenance of the coal processing units scheduled for the coming months, “will be postponed” as a result of “delays in the arrival of components and the travel restrictions on specialized technicians involved in the works”.

In addition to the mine, the company is one of the participants in the 900-kilometre railway line that takes coal from Tete, in the centre of the country, to the port of Nacala, from where it is exported by sea.

The number of officially registered cases of Covid-19 infection in Mozambique has risen from 10 to 17, but there is no record of deaths from the disease in the country, the Ministry of Health announced on Wednesday.

Source: Lusa