Mr Filimoni Kau permanent secretary of Lands and Mineral Resources Ministry said that the first load of bauxite minerals from the new Nawailevu site will be ready for shipment to China by January or February next year.

Mr Kau who joined the Land Transport Authority in approving the first batch of heavy machinery to work at the site said operations were on track to achieving this. According to an Information Ministry statement the new machinery worth USD 1.8million was integral to the mining operations.

The XINFA AURUM, parent company of the Nawailevu Mine has been given LTA approval to run 15 ten-wheeler trucks worth USD 1 million to run on the roads.

Mr Kau said that the vehicles have the capacity to carry loads of up to 30 tonnes. The other machinery come in next month and it will include loaders and diggers."

Mr Naisa Tuinaceva CEO of LTA said that they had gone through the documentation of the vehicles before registration and the trucks were ready for the roads.

(Sourced from www.worldal.com)