Key points
- Sampling by Bonaparte Diamond Mines recovered 57 stones weighing 23.78 carats from 31 of 51 samples completed by Sept. 25 in the ML111 joint operations area offshore Luderitz, Namibia.
- The largest diamond recovered was 1.94 carats, 39 per cent of stones were 0.4 carat or greater, and a stone estimated at about three carats was recovered after Sept. 25.
- Sampling is focused on the Diaz Point 1 area, where near-continuous mineralization covers about 30,000 square metres of DP1’s total 1.2-million-square-metre area, using the vessel Douglas Bay contracted from De Beers Marine.
- Under the joint operations agreement Bonaparte will retain a 30-per-cent participating interest in mining any indicated resource, with sampling scheduled to continue until the third week of October with an option to extend 10 days.
Diamond Fields International Ltd. has received encouraging initial results from
the resource development sampling being conducted by Bonaparte Diamond Mines
NL under a joint operations agreement and expects to
resume mining operations by late October.
During the first four days of sampling by Bonaparte (up to
Sept. 25) in the joint operations area in ML111, offshore Luderitz, Namibia,
diamonds have been recovered from 61 per cent (31 samples) of the 51 samples completed
producing a total of 57 stones weighing 23.78 carats. Multiple-diamond
recoveries (more than one stone) have been returned from 15 samples (29 per cent). A
high proportion (39 per cent) of the diamonds are 0.4 carat or greater in size with the
largest diamond being a 1.94-carat stone. Subsequent to Sept. 25, a diamond,
estimated by geologists on board the vessel to be approximately three carats, has been
recovered. The quality of the stones recovered to date appears typical of
Namibian marine production where historically more than 95 per cent of diamonds are
gem quality.
SUMMARY OF RESULTS
St Ct
(greater (greater
Size than) than)
Samples Positive Multiple Diamonds Carats range 0.4 ct 0.4 ct
51 31 15 57 23.78 0.12 – 22 13.73
1.94
61% 29% 39% 58%
To date sampling has focused on a well-defined geological feature in the
central part of the Diaz Point 1 area where results indicate
near-continuous mineralization in an area of approximately 30,000 square metres. DP1 has a total
area of 1.2 million square metres. Sampling operations are scheduled to continue until the
third week in October with an option to extend the program a further 10
days.
The sampling program is focused on recovering diamonds from a regularly
spaced grid of sample sites at sufficient density for estimation of NI 43-101-
and JORC-compliant resources to the indicated category. Under the terms of
the joint operations agreement Bonaparte will retain a 30-per-cent participating
interest in mining of any indicated resource identified within the joint
operations area. Operations are being conducted from the dedicated sampling
vessel Douglas Bay, contracted by Bonaparte from DeBeers Marine in Cape
Town, South Africa.
Marine diamond samples from this program are initially processed in a
secured and CCTV-monitored plant on board the sampling vessel. Marine gravels
are screened and concentrated via dense-media separation and X-ray sorting.
X-ray concentrates are canned on board and transferred to a secure shore base
and CCTV-monitored sorting facility for final recovery, weighing and logging
of diamonds. All aspects of diamond transport are supervised by the Protected
Resources Unit (PRU) of the Namibian police.
Results of the sampling programs have been reviewed, verified (including
sampling, analytical and test data) by Randal Cullen, PGeo, a qualified person as indicated under NI 43-101.
The engineering work program on the company’s
vessel DF Discoverer is nearing completion. It is expected that the vessel
will return to Namibia and resume mining operations in late October.
Roger Daniel, president and chief executive officer, commented: “We are excited by the initial
results from the Bonaparte sampling operations which create the potential for
delineation of a significant, indicated resource in the joint operations area
thereby adding to our resource base. We also look forward to resumption of
marine diamond mining with our own vessel and expect improved operating
availability and efficiency following the repair, maintenance and upgrade
program.”
