Geomechanics.io

Middle East conflict-driven disruption to shipping lanes and materials exports is prompting UK engineering firms to warn of “prolonged volatility” in costs and lead times for key inputs such as structural steel, bitumen and mechanical plant. Industry bodies are calling for government action including firmer National Infrastructure and Construction Pipeline commitments, targeted guarantees for long-lead imports, and temporary financial support for contractors facing fixed-price public works. Project teams are being advised to revisit risk allowances, programme float and contract clauses on price escalation and force majeure for 2026–2027 schemes.

OTR – Tyres Wheels Service is supplying heavy-duty off-the-road (OTR) tyres and wheel assemblies to Australian mine fleets operating from remote outposts to large open pits, aiming to cut unplanned downtime and tyre-related incidents. The company couples tyre and rim supply with on-site condition monitoring, rotation planning and repair services, enabling better management of haul truck and loader tyre life cycles under high-load, abrasive conditions. For operators, the integrated support model shifts focus from reactive tyre changes to planned maintenance, with direct implications for availability and pit productivity.

REMATRACK TTX conveyor monitoring from Rema Tip Top is being used to prevent unplanned stoppages and product loss on high-capacity belt lines by continuously tracking belt condition and loading. The system uses belt-mounted RFID tags and fixed readers to log individual product movements, detect mis-tracking and slippage, and trigger alarms before damage escalates to a full shutdown. For mine operators, this enables earlier intervention on idlers, skirting and splice issues, reducing downtime and protecting throughput on critical haul and process conveyors.

Export Finance Australia (EFA) will back Australian critical minerals projects targeting European offtake, signalling more debt and guarantee support for lithium, rare earths and other battery-metal producers. The move is framed around the Australia–EU Critical Minerals Partnership, aiming to de-risk long-term supply contracts into EU gigafactory and EV supply chains. For project developers, EFA involvement could improve bankability for new mines and midstream plants, particularly where European buyers seek ESG-compliant, traceable supply outside existing Asian processing hubs.

Conference themes for the 2024 Australian Bulk Handling Expo will centre on practical bulk solids handling, focusing on what works when materials behave unpredictably in real plants rather than in idealised theory. Sessions are expected to drill into issues such as flow blockages, dust and spillage control, and wear on transfer chutes and conveyors under high-throughput conditions. For engineers, the event signals strong demand for field-proven design, maintenance and troubleshooting methods on operating sites, not just new models and simulations.

Rio Tinto has lifted its annual spend with Australian suppliers to a record near-$20 billion, signalling deeper localisation across its iron ore, bauxite and aluminium operations. The company is directing contracts to more than 6000 businesses, including regional and Indigenous-owned firms supplying mine haulage, drill-and-blast services, mobile fleet maintenance and process plant consumables. For contractors, the scale of this outlay points to sustained demand for geotechnical investigation, tailings and waste rock facility management, and brownfield upgrade works across Rio Tinto’s Pilbara and east coast asset base.

Barrick Mining will slow development of the Reko Diq copper-gold project in Pakistan’s Balochistan province and extend its review by 12 months from July, citing heightened security risks linked to the Iran conflict. Phase 1 capex is estimated above US$5.6 billion for a deposit holding about 15 million tonnes of copper reserves, with the mine previously targeted to start up in 2028. The project is forecast to deliver roughly US$90 billion in operating cash flow over a 37-year life, making the delay significant for long-term copper supply planning.

Gemfields’ 2025 revenue fell 32% to $135.1 million and EBITDA dropped 85% to $6.2 million as disruptions at the Montepuez ruby mine in Mozambique and the Kagem emerald mine in Zambia cut production and auction volumes. Seven auctions raised $129 million, but Kagem mining was halted for five months amid weak Chinese demand and oversupply from a rival Zambian producer, while Montepuez faced low premium-ruby recoveries, rising illegal mining and a fatal incursion that killed two police officers. The group is delaying commissioning of its $70 million Montepuez processing plant into H1 2026, has sold Fabergé for $50 million and completed a $30 million rights offer, while warning that Middle East-driven diesel supply risks could hit Mozambique and Zambia operations.

The US International Development Finance Corp. will convert a $31 million loan into equity for a roughly 20% stake in Syrah Resources, owner of the Balama natural graphite mine in Mozambique and the Vidalia Active Anode Material plant in Louisiana. DFC will also inject a further $15 million into the Balama subsidiary, backing one of the world’s largest natural graphite reserves at a time when China supplies 78% of mined graphite and dominates battery-grade processing. The move supports Syrah amid oversupply from cheaper Chinese synthetic graphite and ongoing delays to a Tesla offtake deal.

B2Gold’s latest infill drilling at the Llama and Nuvuyak deposits in Nunavut’s Back River district returned multiple high-grade intercepts, including 13.7 metres at 41.95 g/t gold from 218.25 metres (hole 25GSE-702) and 38.2 metres at 17.95 g/t from 501.1 metres (25GSE-715Z1), reinforcing scope to extend the Goose mine’s nine-year, 2.3‑million‑oz. plan. Back River currently hosts 15.5 million indicated tonnes at 7.16 g/t (3.56 million oz.) and 10.1 million inferred tonnes at 7.54 g/t (2.44 million oz.), plus 2.63 million inferred tonnes at 8.26 g/t at Nuvuyak. B2Gold drilled 28,599 metres in 2025 and has lifted district exploration spend from $32 million in 2025 to $46 million in 2026, targeting depth extensions along the iron formation corridor feeding Goose, which is forecast to grow from 170,000–230,000 oz. in 2026 to over 300,000 oz. in 2027.

USA Rare Earth has commissioned Phase 1a of its commercial sintered neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) magnet production line at its 310,000-square-foot Innovation Lab in Stillwater, Oklahoma, enabling customer deliveries from Q2 2026. The line uses an oxygen-restricted jet milling process to reduce rare earth-metal powders to 3–5 microns before wet pressing, machining, coating and magnetising into aerospace, defence, semiconductor, energy and data centre-grade magnets. Capacity is planned to ramp to 600 mtpa by Q4 2026 and 1,200 mtpa with Phase 1b by Q1 2027, ahead of the Round Top mine start targeted for late 2028.

Gold’s March slump from a late-January peak of $5,589.38/oz to about $4,400/oz is being driven by a global liquidity squeeze and disrupted reserve flows rather than weaker fundamentals, says Sprott strategist Paul Wong. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has stalled oil revenues for Gulf Cooperation Council states, curbing their central bank gold buying, while deleveraging by hedge funds and systematic strategies has turned gold into a cash source amid rising volatility and a stronger US dollar. Wong likens the move to 2008 and 2020 stress episodes and sees scope for a rebound if renewed quantitative easing follows further financial tightening.

SAGA Metals has acquired the 64.5 sq. km Garneau titanium property in Quebec’s Havre-Saint-Pierre anorthosite complex from Rio Tinto, adding a second titanium–vanadium–iron asset alongside its Radar project in Labrador, where over 20 km of oxide layering is already being drilled at the Trapper zone. Garneau contains a 4.5 km by 7.5 km magnetic anomaly, a massive ilmenite boulder grading 32.4% TiO2 and remains untested by drilling, giving a defined but early-stage Fe–Ti target. SAGA will assume C$434,298 of exploration spend, while Rio retains a 2% NSR and nearby infrastructure includes the Romaine hydro complex and a Hydro-Québec road 4.5 km away.

Cerro de Pasco Resources has secured AMSAC approval for coordinated access to the entire 57-hectare Quiulacocha tailings storage facility in Peru, extending beyond its El Metalurgista concession and triggering a share price jump of over 20% to a C$445 million market capitalisation. The agreement, worth about 7.2 million soles (US$2.1 million) over its initial term, allows immediate execution of resource, geotechnical and hydrogeological drilling plus surface and subsurface geophysics from mid-2026. These datasets will underpin a new mineral resource estimate, feasibility studies and a full EIA for reprocessing historic tailings containing an estimated 262,000 tonnes of copper-era metal.

Ivanhoe Atlantic has secured Liberian government approval of its ESIA to use the Yekepa–Buchanan multi-user rail and port corridor for exports from the Kon Kweni iron ore project in Guinea, 46 km from the railway and 16 km from the border. The 751.9 Mt direct shipping ore resource includes 209 Mt at 67.8% Fe, with Phase 1 mining to start at 2 Mtpa and ramp to 5 Mtpa, and a proposed Phase 2 lift to 30 Mtpa from 2029. Ivanhoe expects to pay Liberia about $1.4 billion in rail user fees plus $600 million in other taxes and charges.

MacLean has entered a testing partnership with Sudbury-based Northern Construction Academy to accelerate development and deployment of its GR8 EV Surface Grader for global mining operations. The collaboration will use NCA’s training and test grounds to trial the battery-electric grader under realistic haul road and surface conditions, feeding performance and durability data back into MacLean’s R&D programme in Sudbury. For mine operators, the move signals faster validation of zero-emission surface support equipment and earlier access to a commercial battery grader platform.

Morgan Sindall Construction has started a £34.4m scheme at Queens’ College, Cambridge, delivering 13 Passivhaus-standard student housing blocks at Owlstone Croft plus refurbishment of existing Blocks A and B. The project will provide 60 new bedrooms and upgrade 87 existing rooms, alongside a café and gym extension, new cycle store, and added study and seminar space, for completion by summer 2027. New blocks will use a cross-laminated timber frame, mansard roofs with full-height rooms, and air source heat pumps with PV solar panels behind a detailed masonry façade in reconstituted stone.

Government has opened a 12‑week public consultation, running until 17 June 2026, on proposed updates to Approved Document B, covering fire safety guidance for buildings in England. Key proposals include mandatory evacuation lift guidance for residential buildings over 18 m, revised provisions for specialised housing (alarm coverage and sprinklers), new rules on fire spread across external walls, balconies, roofs and roof‑mounted PV panels, and updated fire resistance guidance for car parks. The review also considers implementing Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 recommendations via BS 9414 for assessing external cladding systems, with any changes expected to take effect from September 2029.

Aspire consortium – comprising Hochtief PPP Solutions, Cityheart and Vinci Building – has secured a 50‑year design, build, finance and operate contract worth about €200m (£170m) to deliver student accommodation for the University of Southampton. The programme will add 1,092 new bedsits at the Connaught and South Stoneham campuses by 2029, modernise 399 existing rooms at Archers Road and restore the Grade II*‑listed Stoneham House as a combined living and learning facility. Vinci Building will lead construction, with Willmore Iles Architects designing and Aspire Students Limited providing long‑term FM and energy services.

Caddick Construction has been appointed main contractor for a £46m, 16-storey, fully electric ‘room2 hometel’ on the former Leeds International Swimming Pool site in Lisbon Street, forming part of the West End regeneration. The DLA Architecture-designed scheme will provide 200 studio and suite rooms plus a ground floor café/bar, meeting and events space, gym, laundry and retail units, with Lamington Group as operator. Construction is due to start in May 2026 and complete by spring 2028, signalling long lead times for city-centre logistics and services coordination.

LGH has introduced the Megamod modular spreader beam, rated to a 1,500‑tonne working load limit at a 20‑metre span, aimed at super heavy lifts in infrastructure and heavy industry. The DNV-rated system’s modular sections and interchangeable trunnion ends enable shackle-free rigging, load rotation and reduced rigging weight, improving lift speed and configuration flexibility for project-specific geometries. LGH positions the Megamod to support larger, more complex onshore and offshore lifts through rental, rather than bespoke one-off spreader fabrication.

The Mineral Products Association has appointed former Cemex communications and public affairs director Martin Casey as senior director for cement and lime, succeeding Diana Casey after more than 20 years with the producer and a year consulting for the MPA on government engagement. His appointment comes as UK cement imports have tripled in two decades while domestic output has fallen to a 75‑year low, intensifying pressure on local kilns and clinker capacity. New EU carbon border charges this year are expected to divert more global cement shipments towards the UK, sharpening competitiveness and carbon‑policy risks for domestic producers.

Emergency planning measures from housing secretary Steve Reed and the mayor of London will introduce a fast-track route for schemes with at least 20% affordable housing and temporary CIL relief, aiming to restart dozens of stalled sites after social and affordable housing starts collapsed from 26,386 in 2022/23 to 4,522 in 2024/25. The package includes extra CIL relief for projects exceeding affordable targets and extended timeframes to keep schemes viable. The British Property Federation warns the support remains too limited to restore investor confidence or secure large-scale delivery without deeper, permanent flexibility in the London Plan.

Yanmar Compact Equipment has appointed Dorset-based Locators Ltd as its dealer for compact excavators and carriers across Dorset and West Sussex, marking Locators’ entry into earthmoving after decades focused on industrial forklifts and Manitou telehandlers. Locators, with around 75 staff including more than 20 service engineers, will operate from its Wimborne HQ and Thatcham depot to support the new line-up. The initial order covers SV08-1C and SV17 conventional tail minis, ViO17 and ViO80-1 zero tail swing excavators, and the C08 tracked carrier, with a ViO23 already sold.