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African bottlenecks magnified by coronavirus","cobalts-african-bottlenecks-magnified-by-coronavirus","article/cobalts-african-bottlenecks-magnified-by-coronavirus",{"_uid":557,"date":558,"tags":559,"editor":560,"content":570,"excerpt":630,"featured":50,"reporter":631,"_editable":635,"component":636,"seo_title":553,"categories":637,"visibility":641,"author_company":49,"featured_image":642,"seo_description":630,"author_full_name":49,"author_job_title":49,"formattedDate":647,"formattedArticleDate":648},"8fbb7ded-b2af-41bd-a6a9-e4661b89f41c","2020-04-28 00:00",[],[561],{"slug":562,"name":563,"content":564},"matthew-bird","Matthew Bird",{"job_title":565,"image":566,"bio":568,"linkedin":569},"Senior Editor - Supply Chains & Data Visualisation",{"filename":567},"https://a.storyblok.com/f/287943243085208/512x512/14738033ec/matthew-bird.jpeg","Matthew writes, edits and produces content for Benchmark Intelligence and Benchmark Source across the whole mine to grid supply chain. He also acts as a liaison to the press. He has a PhD in electrochemistry from the University of Nottingham.","https://www.linkedin.com/in/birdmatthew/",{"type":571,"content":572},"doc",[573,580,585,590,595,600,605,610,615,620,625],{"type":574,"attrs":575,"content":576},"paragraph",{"textAlign":49},[577],{"text":578,"type":579},"Logistical concerns in the cobalt supply chain escalated through late Q1 2020 and into Q2 as growing delays at the main border crossing between Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) compounded on disruption at ports in South Africa.","text",{"type":574,"attrs":581,"content":582},{"textAlign":49},[583],{"text":584,"type":579},"Africa had been largely unaffected by the coronavirus until March with operations continuing as normal across the cobalt supply chain. However, the past month has seen logistical issues develop which have seen bottlenecks in the next stages of the supply chain.",{"type":574,"attrs":586,"content":587},{"textAlign":49},[588],{"text":589,"type":579},"Caspar Rawles, Head of Price Assessments at Benchmark Minerals explained, “Whilst initially we saw a delayed impact from COVID-19 in Africa, the situation swiftly turned and we have seen significant impact to the supply chain. Primarily this was driven by the lockdown imposed in South Africa from 26 March. This has meant that exporting DRC cobalt to Asia has been largely at a standstill throughout April as producers scramble to find alternative route for export.",{"type":574,"attrs":591,"content":592},{"textAlign":49},[593],{"text":594,"type":579},"“Under normal circumstances this would have caused a major price spike but as demand continues to flounder, domestically in China as well as in international markets, prices are yet to react.",{"type":574,"attrs":596,"content":597},{"textAlign":49},[598],{"text":599,"type":579},"“We are starting to see some interest in delivery of DRC cobalt hydroxide to China for late May-June. With the lockdown in South Africa extended into May, there are risks that delays at South African ports could extend further into Q2 and we could see temporary tightness and potential rising prices.",{"type":574,"attrs":601,"content":602},{"textAlign":49},[603],{"text":604,"type":579},"“Further to the delay of shipments we have also seen the Usoke and Mutoshi operations placed on care and maintenance by Chemaf, whilst the impact of this won’t be felt immediately this is likely to be felt in late 2020 or moving in 2021.”",{"type":574,"attrs":606,"content":607},{"textAlign":49},[608],{"text":609,"type":579},"As Rawles notes, the impact of the virus saw Chemaf announce the temporary suspension of activities at Usoke, production at the Mutoshi artisanal mine site and construction at the Mutoshi refinery. Benchmark Minerals estimates these closures alone could see 2,000-2,500 tonnes of cobalt production wiped out in 2020.",{"type":574,"attrs":611,"content":612},{"textAlign":49},[613],{"text":614,"type":579},"With the virus not yet under control across Africa and within the DRC, the risk of an extended lockdown due to the spread of the virus persists, which would be extremely detrimental to the region and production as a whole. In addition, some miners have chosen to close off operations to workers not already on the mine site due to the virus risk.",{"type":574,"attrs":616,"content":617},{"textAlign":49},[618],{"text":619,"type":579},"The risk to production has seen Benchmark Minerals reduce its 2020 cobalt production forecast for the DRC from 107,000 tonnes at the end of Q4 2019 to 101,400 tonnes in our Q1 2020 publication, which marks a 4% reduction in global production for the year.",{"type":574,"attrs":621,"content":622},{"textAlign":49},[623],{"text":624,"type":579},"Regardless of decisions on mine closures in the DRC, if South Africa is closed as a point of export for DRC cobalt this is likely to have major disruption to the supply chain as it represents the main point of departure of material destined for China.",{"type":574,"attrs":626,"content":627},{"textAlign":49},[628],{"text":629,"type":579},"So far the ports remain inaccessible as a point of export for DRC miners, and with the South African lockdown extended, a number of miners are looking at alternative ports in Africa, including Dar es Salaam in Tanzania or via rail through Angola. Any changes to the pre-existing supply chain will result in delays of cargo being shipped, but could also see delays due to limited capacity at other ports, alongside the growing risk of lockdowns in other nations central to the new supply chain.","Logistical concerns in the cobalt supply chain escalated through late Q1 2020 and into Q2 as growing delays at the main border crossing between Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) compounded on disruption at ports in South Africa. Africa had been largely unaffected by the coronavirus until March with operations continuing as […]",[632],{"slug":562,"name":563,"content":633},{"job_title":565,"image":634,"bio":568,"linkedin":569},{"filename":567},"\u003C!--#storyblok#{\"name\": \"article\", \"space\": \"\", \"uid\": \"8fbb7ded-b2af-41bd-a6a9-e4661b89f41c\", \"id\": \"\"}-->","article",[638],{"slug":639,"name":640},"critical-minerals","Critical Minerals","private",{"id":49,"alt":643,"name":643,"focus":643,"title":643,"source":643,"filename":644,"copyright":643,"fieldtype":645,"meta_data":646,"is_external_url":51},"","https://a.storyblok.com/f/287943243085208/6ddb01c4f7/bm-49812500761-9b1a54739c-c.jpg","asset",{"alt":643,"title":643,"source":643,"copyright":643},"Apr 28, 2020","28th April 2020",[],[],1792773940820]