From 30 March this year 'Bauxite and Alumina Mining Venture' (BAMV), a subsidiary of the Russian Aluminium Group (RUSAL), will become the majority owner of the Aroaima Mining Company (AMC) of Guyana for a sum of $20m.

BAMV will then own 90% of Bauxite Company of Guyana (BCGI) and the Government of Guyana 10%.

Oldendorf and BCGI have signed contracts that included the provision of a temporary transfer vessel, positioned in the Berbice River on January 3rd of this year, and the procurement and operation of a comprehensive package of new plant to undertake the up river transportation.

The German shipowner replaces Viceroy Shipping in the trans-shipment and ocean transportation of bauxite from the loading basin and will succeed British tug owner J P Knight as the barge operator for the upriver movement of Bauxite at the end of 2006. To deal with the latter, Oldendorf has placed orders for a custom built floating transfer station equipped with a 24,000 TEU crane, twenty 3,400 tdw bulk cargo barges and nine other vessels. Damen Shipyards of Gorinchem will deliver five tugs with a bollard pull of 38 tonnes, two launch tugs and two Alucat launches.

The entire plant package is due for delivery by the end of this year.

The new tugs and barges must be capable of navigating the difficult waters of the Berbice River to and from the mine, a journey of 120 miles each way, much of it through an inhospitable jungle region.

These vessels must also be capable of passing beneath the high span of the proposed Berbice floating bridge to avoid it being opened.

Current contractor J P Knight Ltd, with their headquarters at Chatham UK, have been involved in the Bauxite trade on the Berbice for the past 15 years, carrying over 23 million tons since the service commenced.

A fleet of six tugs and eight large flat topped barges are currently employed. J P Knight has also been carrying out a bauxite transportation operation in Surinam for over a decade. The later will continue unaffected by the withdrawal from Guyana during the next 12 months and it is known that the company have been approached to consider similar work elsewhere.