Oil Flows to Lag Even if Hormuz Strait Reopens
The Strait of Hormuz, which moves roughly one‑fifth of global oil and gas, remains largely shut after Iran tightened control following a U.S. blockade. Even a temporary reopening will not instantly restore flows; analysts estimate an eight‑to‑twelve‑week lag for tanker movements and months to years for full pre‑war output. About 260 tankers holding 170 million barrels of oil and 1.2 million tonnes of LNG are stranded in the Gulf, while commercial storage is limited to roughly 20 days of production. Recovery hinges on logistics, insurance, crew risk tolerance, and repairing damaged infrastructure.
Eni Makes Major Gas Discovery Offshore Indonesia
Italy’s Eni announced a major offshore gas find in Indonesia’s Kutei Basin, estimating about 5 trillion cubic feet of gas and 300 million barrels of condensate from the Geliga‑1 well. The discovery sits in the Ganal block, where Eni operates with an...
Assarel-Medet Takes Delivery of Liebherr R 9350 E Electric Excavator for Bulgarian Copper Mine
In late March, Assarel‑Medet received its fifth 300‑ton class Liebherr R 9350 E electric excavator at the Bul copper mine in Bulgaria. The machine features a 1,200 kW electric motor, a 17 cu m bucket, and zero‑emission operation, promising higher productivity and lower maintenance costs....
OKEA Sheds Its Stake in Norwegian Gas/Condensate Discovery
OKEA has entered a sale‑and‑purchase agreement with Japex Norge to divest its 20% working interest in the PL1119 licence, which hosts the Mistral gas‑condensate discovery, for a fixed $30 million plus contingent upside. The transaction, effective 1 January 2026, is slated to close...
Strait Standoff Reshapes Fertiliser Trade and Crop Economics
Eight weeks of Middle‑East fighting have blocked roughly 24% of the world’s bulk fertiliser supply behind the Strait of Hormuz, stranding about 834,000 tonnes of urea. Shipping through the strait fell over 95%, driving nitrogen prices up nearly 40% in...
Probe Underway as Rig Ops Come to a Standstill After Blowout Preventer Drop
Odfjell Drilling reported that its 17‑year‑old Deepsea Atlantic semi‑submersible lost its blowout preventer (BOP) to the seabed at about 1,100 metres on April 18, halting all drilling activity. The rig, operating for Equinor on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, remained secure and no...
Three-Party Union in Singapore Targets Low-Carbon Ammonia as Marine Fuel
A three‑party partnership between NYK Bulkship (Asia), Singapore bunker supplier Golden Island, and Yara Clean Ammonia has signed a non‑binding term sheet to explore low‑carbon ammonia as a marine fuel. The alliance leverages NYK’s fleet of over 900 vessels and...
Ganfeng Lithium Sees Profits Soar Amid Energy Disruption
China’s Ganfeng Lithium, the world’s largest lithium‑metal producer, expects a profit of 1.6 billion yuan (≈ $221 million) for the quarter ended March, a sharp reversal from a 360 million‑yuan loss a year earlier. The surge is driven by soaring oil prices that have...
China’s Silver Imports Jump to Record on Retail and Solar Demand
China set a new record by importing 836 tons of silver in March, far exceeding the 10‑year seasonal average of about 306 tons. The surge was driven primarily by heightened demand from retail investors buying physical silver and the country’s expansive solar‑panel...
Technology Targets a Revival in Copper Refining
Australia produced about 800,000 t of copper in 2024 and refined roughly 460,000 t, but its smelting capacity is tightening, threatening domestic value capture as global demand is projected to hit 35.1 mt by 2030. Start‑up Banksia Minerals, backed by an A$5 m (≈US$3.3 m)...
Resources Top 5: Tartana Minerals Closes in on Copper Sulphate Production
Tartana Minerals is poised to restart copper sulphate production within three weeks, targeting its first shipment to Kanins International in mid‑May. Meanwhile, Narryer Metals completed a A$1.056 million placement that brought seasoned miner Tim Goyder on board as a substantial shareholder....
Altitude Minerals Lines up Byrock Copper-Gold Porphyry Drill Targets
Altitude Minerals is finalising drill collar locations for three high‑priority pipe‑like copper‑gold targets at its Byrock project in New South Wales. The company has integrated new gravity and passive‑seismic surveys with existing air‑core, rotary mud and diamond drilling data to...
Sierra Nevada Gold Takes New Pass Toward Trial Mining
Sierra Nevada Gold (ASX:SNX) has started underground refurbishment at its New Pass project in Nevada, focusing on the high‑grade Superior Vein. The company is preparing a 500‑metre drilling program from five stations to map vein continuity and support potential stope...
Angola: Chitotolo Mine Has Potential to Operate for More Than 20 Years
The Chitotolo Mining Company in Angola reports proven diamond reserves of roughly 7.46 million carats, enough to sustain operations for over two decades at current output levels. In 2025 the mine produced 331,000 kg of diamonds, a 6% increase over its 312,000 kg...
Record 7900-Ounce Laverton Gold Run for Brightstar
Brightstar Resources completed its final ore processing campaign at the Laverton operation in Western Australia, delivering a record 7,900 ounces of gold from 140,000 tonnes of ore at 2.0 g/t. The campaign achieved an 89.1% recovery rate, generating $53 million in revenue...
Axel REE Leach Test Work Confirms ISR Performance of Caladão Rare Earths Material
Axel REE reported that column leach testing of the Woolrich deposit at its Caladão project confirmed the material behaves as expected under in‑situ recovery (ISR) conditions. Soluble rare‑earth oxide concentrations ranged from 443 ppm to 546 ppm, and the tests identified low‑acidity,...
Kingfisher Mining to Launch Drilling Campaign at Copper Blow Project Under Broken Hill Mines Agreement
Kingfisher Mining (ASX: KFM) has launched a second‑stage drilling campaign at its Copper Blow copper‑gold project in New South Wales. The work, conducted under a 10‑year ore‑processing agreement with Broken Hill Mines (ASX: BHM), will test extensions of known lodes and improve geological...
EcoGraf and Mitsubishi Chemical Sign Commercialisation Deal for Epanko Natural Flake Graphite
EcoGraf and Mitsubishi Chemical have signed a non‑binding MoU to supply and qualify natural flake graphite and spherical graphite for Mitsubishi’s anode material operations. The agreement envisions up to 10,000 tonnes per year of unpurified or purified spherical graphite, or roughly...
As World Clamors for Its Critical Minerals, Kazakhstan Ups Control and Seeks Bigger Cut
Kazakhstan is tightening control over its critical‑minerals sector by amending tax, royalty and sub‑soil laws, aiming to secure a larger share of future profits. New royalty rates, effective for licences granted after 2027, are roughly double those in Western Australia,...
Middle East Oil Pricing Is Cracking Under Pressure
The Strait of Hormuz shutdown has crippled the Platts Dubai benchmark, forcing Platts to cut its deliverable basket from five grades to just Murban and Oman, a roughly 40% reduction in pricing coverage. Thin liquidity and concentrated trading, highlighted by...
Pure Silver Plays Strongly Leveraged to Metal’s Upside
Silver is trading near US$78 per ounce, still up roughly 140% from a year earlier, as industrial demand from electrification, renewable energy and high‑tech electronics outpaces supply. Sprott’s SLVR ETF, launched in early 2025, targets pure‑play silver exposure, offering more...
Gold Steps Out of the Shadows in Cobar Basin Exploration Push
Australian explorer Mount Hope Mining is spotlighting gold in the historically polymetallic Cobar Basin of New South Wales. Recent phase‑two drilling at the Mt Solitary prospect returned high‑grade intersections, notably 6 metres at 17.9 g/t Au with a 2‑metre core grading 48.1 g/t. The...
Vroom, Baby, Vroom: Energy Shock Puts Aussie Graphite in the Box Seat
Australia’s Leliyn Graphite Project, owned by Kingsland Minerals, contains 14.2 Mt of graphite – the country’s largest known deposit – positioning the nation to supply the fast‑growing EV battery market. While global demand for battery‑grade graphite is rising, prices remain muted...
Emerging ASX Gold Stocks Show Overlooked Potential in South Africa’s Legendary Gold Scene
Two ASX‑listed miners are reigniting interest in South Africa’s historic gold belt as gold prices near $5,000 per ounce. Theta Gold Mines (ASX:TGM) targets its first gold pour from the Theta Gold Mining Estates project in Q1 2027, backed by an...
U.S. Invests in Project to Remove Rare Earth Minerals Despite Differences with South Africa
Washington’s International Development Finance Corporation has pledged a $50 million equity stake in the Phalaborwa Rare Earths Project, an effort to extract rare earth elements from 35 million tons of phosphogypsum waste in South Africa. The venture, led by Rainbow Rare Earths...
How the AI Boom Is Fueling the US Copper Race
The surge in AI‑driven electricity use is turning copper into a strategic bottleneck for the United States. Domestic production has stalled, forcing reliance on imports while demand is projected to rise over 40% by 2040. Projects like Rio Tinto’s Resolution Mine...
Tata Steel Prepares for Blue-Collar Job Transitions as Iron Ore Lease Expiry Nears
Tata Steel announced that four iron‑ore mining leases in Jharkhand and Odisha will expire by 2030, prompting a strategic shift in its raw‑material sourcing. The company has slowed new hiring while briefing employees on possible role changes, redeployment, or voluntary...
Op-Ed | Mining Threats To Boundary Waters Spill Over To Voyageurs National Park
The U.S. Senate voted to roll back long‑standing protections for the Boundary Waters watershed, opening the area to sulfide mining upstream of the pristine freshwater system. The decision threatens the Voyageurs National Park watershed with potential mercury, arsenic and acid...
Agincourt's Martabe Gold Mine to Restart After Post-Disaster Crackdown
Agincourt Resources, a subsidiary of United Tractors, will restart the Martabe gold mine in mid‑May after receiving conditional approval from Indonesia’s Environment Ministry. The mine, halted following the 2025 Sumatra flood and landslide disaster, is projected to produce about 60,000...
Aluminium Prices at Record Highs: What’s Driving the Rally and What’s Next?
Aluminium prices have surged to a four‑year high on the London Metal Exchange, touching a record ₹375 per kilogram (about $4.5) in India. The rally followed an initial dip after the US‑Iran conflict, rebounding as supply concerns and robust demand...
Pipeline Protection Firm Says After $226bn Loss in Ogoni, Time to Resume Oil Production Is Now
Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Ltd (PINL) urged the federal government to restart oil production in Ogoni’s OML 11, citing an estimated $226.7 billion loss from 96 idle wells over 32 years. The region could yield over 500,000 barrels per day, boosting national revenue...
Trading Desks Boom While Big Oil Output Stalls
European supermajors are set to post strong first‑quarter earnings, driven by record‑high oil and gas trading profits as market volatility spikes following Middle‑East disruptions. Shell, BP, TotalEnergies and Equinor each highlighted exceptional trading results, while their upstream output fell 5‑15%...
Inside the Race to Control the World’s Lithium Supply
Lithium production has exploded from 31,500 tonnes in 2015 to an estimated 290,000 tonnes in 2025, fueling a $150 billion battery market that grew 20% year‑over‑year. China now dominates both mining and refining, projected to control roughly half of the global lithium market...
Why Oil Prices Spike Before Supply Breaks (Strait of Hormuz Explained)
Oil prices often surge before any physical disruption in the Strait of Hormuz because market participants price the perceived risk of delayed or rerouted shipments. Recent Iranian military tightening and vessel warnings have heightened uncertainty, prompting insurers to raise premiums...
Ukraine Strikes Two Russian Refineries, Baltic Sea Port
Ukrainian drone forces struck two oil refineries in Russia’s Samara region and set fire to the Vysotsk port terminal in the Leningrad region, according to local governors and Ukrainian officials. The attacks are part of a broader campaign that has...
Major Rare Earth Discoveries in Scandinavia Raise Hopes of Easing Europe’s Dependence on China
Historic rare‑earth discoveries in Norway and Sweden have dramatically expanded Europe’s domestic resource base. The Fensfeltet deposit in southern Norway was revised to 15.9 million tonnes of rare‑earth oxides, while Sweden’s Per Geijer and Norra Kärr sites together could satisfy up to 18%...
Copper Price Within Sight of All-Time High as Chinese Smelters Hit Record Activity
Copper May futures surged to $6.11 per pound, a 10‑week high and within striking distance of the all‑time peak set in January. Satellite data from Earth‑i show global smelting inactivity fell to 11.7% in March, driven by a record‑low 3.9%...
BHP Invent Strengthens Innovation Partnerships in China Through MOUs with ENFI and BGRIMM
BHP Invent has formalised two Memorandums of Understanding with China ENFI and BGRIMM Technology Group, expanding its innovation pipeline in China. The agreements focus on mineral processing, leaching, complex ore treatment and high‑altitude operations. ENFI brings extensive EPC/EPCM experience and...
Alcoa Dips After Q1 Miss, But Higher Aluminum Prices Loom
Alcoa reported a first‑quarter earnings miss, sending its shares down 6.8% to $65.63. Despite the short‑term weakness, aluminum spot prices have surged over 60% from the 2025 low, driven by supply disruptions in the Persian Gulf. Analysts maintain a Hold...
NSE Gets SEBI Nod to Invest in Proposed Coal Exchange
The National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) has secured SEBI approval to invest in the proposed National Coal Exchange of India Limited. The exchange will introduce electronic spot trading and standardized contracts for coal, aiming to improve price discovery and...
The Metals Company Submits Decade’s Worth of Deep-Sea Exploration Data to ISA
The Metals Company (TMC) announced that its subsidiaries, Nauru Ocean Resources and Tonga Offshore Mining, have deposited a decade’s worth of deep‑sea exploration data into the International Seabed Authority’s DeepData platform. The submission, covering 2013‑2022, includes 777 equipment deployments, more...
Fast-Tracking US Critical Minerals Could Backfire without Safeguards, Oxfam Warns
The United States is accelerating permits and financing for critical‑mineral mines under a 2025 executive order aimed at reducing foreign dependence. Oxfam America cautions that rushing projects without strong environmental and community safeguards could create costly legal battles and delays....
North America Just Got Its First New Kind of Lithium Refinery
Mangrove Lithium has inaugurated North America’s first commercial electrochemical lithium refinery in Delta, British Columbia, capable of processing 1,000 tonnes of lithium annually. The facility, dubbed the Single Stack Plant, can supply battery‑grade lithium for roughly 25,000 electric vehicles each...
U.S. Senate Passes Resolution to Reverse Minnesota Mining Ban
On April 16, the U.S. Senate voted 50‑49 to overturn the Biden administration’s 20‑year mining ban on more than 225,000 acres of Minnesota’s Superior National Forest. The Congressional Review Act resolution, already passed by the House, now heads to President...
Taroom: Australia’s New Oil Play
Queensland’s Taroom Trough is emerging as Australia’s first major on‑shore oil play in decades, with early drilling indicating light crude and condensate potential. Pilot production has already begun, providing proof of concept and attracting investor interest. The Queensland government is...
Codelco Taps Microsoft for Analytics, AI
Codelco, the world’s largest copper miner, has signed an 18‑month partnership with Microsoft to deploy artificial intelligence, advanced analytics, automation and digital security solutions. A joint governance board will oversee strategic and operational execution, ensuring pilots and early‑stage tests align...
Ivanhoe’s Platreef Adopts Weir HPGRs
Ivanhoe Mines has equipped its Platreef copper‑gold mine in South Africa with Weir ENDURON high‑pressure grinding rolls (HPGR) for tertiary crushing as part of its Phase 2 expansion. The HPGRs, which require no grinding media and use up to 40% less...
Rio Tinto, Suppliers Innovate for ESG Goals
Rio Tinto is collaborating with Cohda Wireless, Spectrum FiftyNine, Roobuck and Maptek to upgrade a proximity detection system at its Oyu Tolgoi underground mine in Mongolia. The new smartTag, miniaturized to fit cap lamps, can be detected through bends and pinpointed...
Byrnecut Deploys AutoMine to Five Mines
Sandvik announced that Byrnecut has ordered AutoMine Multi‑Lite systems for five mines – four in Australia (Gwalia, Ulysses, Youanmi, Gossan Valley) and one in Namibia (Navachab). The technology enables a single operator to control up to three loaders remotely, cutting...
Hold the Champagne: Oil Recovery Faces Weeks of Delay as Supply Chain Shocks Deepen
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has forced oil tankers onto longer, less efficient routes, leaving only seven empty vessels to transit the strait and no fully laden ships delivering product. Around 330 compliant tankers and 102 vessels carrying...