Dredger takes a dive at minerals mine
Employees were evacuated as the dredger started sinking.
RICHARDS Bay Minerals (RBM) staff quickly jumped into action today when one of the mine’s dredgers started sinking into the sand at around noon at Mining Pond E in the Sokhulu area.
‘A dredger was partially submerged and all employees were evacuated safely in good time,’ confirmed RBM Mining General Manager Ben Baxter.
‘There were no injuries and we have already commenced recovery operations.’
The dredgers are used to extract heavy minerals from the surrounding dunes.
RBM produces titania slag, rutile, zircon and high purity iron, which all have properties essential for manufacturing specialised products like paint, electronic products, kitchen appliances and automotive parts.
The company currently has the capacity to produce approximately two million tons of products annually, including approximately 100 000 tons of rutile and 250 000 tons of zircon for customers across the globe.
