Reuters reported that South Africa's Assmang will lose up to 50,000 tonnes of high carbon ferromanganese and 7,000 to 8,000 tonnes of refined ferromanganese until the end of June 2008 due to a furnace explosion at its Cato Ridge plant last month.

Mr Jan Steenkamp head of ARM's iron ore unit said that it would start recommissioning its furnaces at the plant towards the end of March 2008.