October was an exciting month for MICROMINE Africa’s Operations Manager, Morné Pearce. From the 17th to the 28th of October he ventured into Asia with the MICROMINE Mongolia team to assist with a scoping study for the MAK Naryn Sukhait mine. As it turned out, the Scoping study proved to be the easiest part about his trip. The Nariin Sukhait (or Ovoot Tolgoi) mining complex (Mongolian: Нарийн Сухайт / Овоот Толгой) is located in the Gurvan tes sum (district) of Ömnögovi Province in Southern Mongolia. The site is 25 km SE from sum center and 56 km north of Shivee Khüren – Ceke crossing point on the Mongolian-Chinese border.
Nariin Sukhait is reported to hold about 380 million mt of resources of high-rank, low-ash, low-sulphur metallurgical and steam coal,[3] of which 220 million mt of resources belong to the licenses of Mongolyn Alt Corporation LLC[1]and 160 million mt of coal[4] is delineated under the licenses of South Gobi Energy Resources Inc.
Morné began his trip at OR Tambo International Airport where he flew to Hong Kong and then finally on to Seoul in South Korea. Morné spent 2 days in South Korea arranging his Mongolian Visa, as there was no Embassy in South Africa to arrange a visa through. Once the visa was finalised, Morné hopped onto another flight to Ulaanbaatar, the capital city of Mongolia. From the capital, it was a 2-day drive to the MAK mine. This was where things got interesting.
The majority of the trip was through the cold Gobi Desert on a dirt road. One of their first stops involved meeting a nomadic couple who travelled with camels through the desert, setting up temporary tents. Morné and the team were lucky enough to be invited into this temporary accommodation for coffee and learn about the cultures of the couple.
The ‘money tree’ was another interesting stop the team made, as this was a special place for the locals. How it works, you place money into the bark of the tree, circle the tree 3 times and this is said to bring you good fortune with your finances. The team tried but are yet to receive the good fortune 😉
Once Morné arrived at the MAK Mine, 2 days were spent on the scoping study. After an eventful adventure into Mongolia, it was time for Morné to return back to South Africa, travelling through Beijing and Singapore to reach home.
