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Dawnus’ project in Sierra Leone is underway, with works progressing well after four months on site.
Dawnus’ section of the multi-billion pound project for African Minerals Ltd involves the construction of a logistics corridor to haul iron ore from a mine at Tonkolili to the nearest port at Pepel, 200km away.
Dawnus are working on four separate packages of the project to deliver 50km of new rail, 67km of rail refurbishment, a quarry operation and civil engineering work at the port of Pepel.
Setting up the operation in Sierra Leone has been a logistical challenge over the past four months involving and shipping over US$15m of equipment and materials from Tilbury to Freetown in Sierra Leone.
30 of Dawnus’ UK employees have travelled to Sierra Leone to manage, engineer and supervise the works. Dawnus are also employing over 160 locals on the projects under fair trade terms, including labourers, tradesmen, engineers and administrative staff.
Dawnus have also sent training staff to Sierra Leone to train 50 local operatives in using plant to European standards.
Dawnus Project Manager Mike Condon says “it has been an incredible few months of co-operation between African Minerals, Dawnus and the local people to get the project up and running before the rainy season starts.”
“It has brought out the best in our team, and they have demonstrated qualities and resilience that we are very proud of.”
The US$24.5m rail construction through the African Bush entails extensive cut and fill operations, pioneering through swamps, extensive drainage operations including diversions, levees and the installation of numerous culverts, creating embankments, and cuttings for the new rail.
The rail refurbishment civils package (US$5m) consists of removal of vegetation, widening and preparation of formation, laying of ballast and the stabilisation and reconstruction of embankments.
Our quarry works (US$4.5m) consist of site clearance, drill and blast and process to ballast using our own crushing and screening equipment. This involves over 125,000t of ballast and 30,000t of concrete aggregate.
At Pepel we are providing foundations for the new materials handling equipment as well as the camp accommodation and undertaking cut/fill earthworks and demolition at the stockyard.
The whole project is being delivered in line with a strict Environmental and Social Management Plan, to ensure that the project complies with all relevant government legislation and good practices.
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