The Cook Islands Opposition Democratic Party’s bid to put the Seabed Minerals Bill 2019 through “proper consultation” has been quashed. Instead, as reported by local media, “the government forced it through Parliament before adjourning indefinitely”.

Nautilus Minerals is looking to sell its assets in its troubled deep-sea mining project in Papua New Guinea while it fends off creditors.

Coppermoly limited’s submission for exploration licence EL2578 Kori River has been approved by the Mineral Resources Authority of Papua New Guinea.

PNG Mining News has reported that Michael Hunt, an advisor to the Special Mining Lease Osikaiyang Landowners Association (SMLOLA), has issued a stinging attack on the statement which attempted to justify the proposed changes to the Bougainville Mining Act (BMA).

The World Bank released its February 2019 edition of the PNG Economic Update: Slower Growth, Better Prospects which outlined Papua New Guinea’s economic situation and medium-term development prospects.

Mayur Resources (MRL) has been granted environmental approval for bulk sample extraction of coal in Papua New Guinea (PNG), as well as PNG’s first vertically integrated lime and cement project.

Nautilus Minerals has entered a $US34 million agreement with lender Deep Sea Mining Finance for deep-sea mining development in Papua New Guinea, but continued local pressure continues to shake the project to its core.

According to local media reports, Exxon Mobil has shut down its operations on 19 June 2018 after landowners burnt heavy machinery on PDL 8 site in a show of frustration over alleged non-payment of the Business Development Grant (BDG).

Following a temporary shutdown of operations after a severe earthquake that ravaged Papua New Guinea on 26 February 2018, Exxon Mobil has announced thatproduction of liquefied natural gas (LNG) has safely resumed at the PNG LNG project, with LNG exports expected to resume soon after.

With exploration partner Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC), Angkor Gold continues as the operator to develop the primary target on the Oyadao South License, which is a copper porphyry system known as the Halo Project.

Vietnamese media has reported that a tailings pond at a gold mine in Tam Lanh Town, Quang Nam Province had breached its banks, releasing pollutants into a nearby river, contaminating the water and killing fish.

In an updated feasibility study released mid-March 2018, Newcrest Mining has added almost US$170 million to the forecasted costs to develop the Wafi-Golpu copper-gold project in Papua New Guinea (PNG), bringing the cost estimate to US$2.82 billion.

The Mineral Resources Authority of Papua New Guinea (PNG) has given approval for Crater Gold Mining to recommence operations on its flagship Crater Mountain project.

The Ditch Ocean Dumping coalition has called on Citigroup to divest from mines tied to the practice of ocean waste dumping.

GEOPACIFIC Resources has discovered a significant new zone of gold mineralisation adjacent to the Kulumadau East deposit of the Woodlark Island Gold Project. The main Boscalo zone is delineated over a 200-metre length and mineralisation remains open.

K92 Mining has defined an initial resource at the Kora North deposit of Kainantu Gold Project. The resource is based on results from grade control drilling and face sampling, and will be used for initial mining blocks at the deposit.

GEOPACIFIC Resources continues to progress a definitive feasibility study for the Woodlark Gold Project on Woodlark Island. Ongoing metallurgical and infill drilling at the project is returning encouraging results and continues to confirm wide zones of gold mineralisation.

GOLD Mountain began its initial drill program at Crown Ridge Gold Project in late September. The program of 12 holes for 1000 metres is being complemented by an extensive bulk sampling program with the aim of estimating an initial JORC 2012-compliant mineral resource.

Harmony Gold is ahead of schedule with plans to increase production at the Hidden Valley Gold-Silver Project to an annual rate of 28 million tonnes. It is aiming for annual steady state production of 180,000 ounces of gold and 3 million ounces of silver and expects to achieve commercial levels of production during the June quarter of 2018.

COPPERMOLY has received an updated JORC-compliant mineral resource estimate for the Mt Nakru Copper-Gold Project. At a cut-off grade of 0.3% copper, the inferred resource now stands at 29.1 million tonnes @ 0.92% copper, 0.22 g/t gold and 2.25 g/t silver for 267,000 tonnes of copper, 208,000 ounces of gold and 2.104 million ounces of silver.