MUSCAT, AUGUST 12
UK-based strategic mining firm Knights Bay Oryx Ltd (KBO) has announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary Knights Bay Mining and Trading LLC (KBM) has successfully completed the drilling of an initial batch of drill holes in its nickel laterite project within Mineral Block 21 in the Wilayat of Ibra in Oman’s North Al Sharqiyah Governorate.
The announcement marks a key milestone in the company’s efforts to unlock the concession’s potentially promising nickel potential, a strategically vital mineral at the heart of the global energy transition.
Under an agreement signed with Oman’s Ministry of Energy and Minerals in March last year, Knights Bay received concession rights to a 1,400 sq km block in Ibra, described as hosting “a new potentially world-class nickel laterite deposit with cobalt, chrome, and iron-ore credits”.
In a statement, Knights Bay said the initial drill holes have “confirmed the observed geological formations and the historic geological data” compiled by the Company detailing the nickel laterite sequence within Mineral Block 21.
“This is the first hole of an initial 27-hole programme to test three target areas to confirm mineral continuity, historical data and test geological interpretation. This will provide the basis for the targeted, staged resource definition drilling programme,” the company stated.
Covering an area of around 280 km2, the Ibra nickel laterite project area has been the target of small-scale mining of its iron-rich material to supply the cement industry as an additive to cement. Knights Bay says it is focused on proving the presence of nickel laterites in this target 280 km2 project area within Mineral Block 21.
“The project has a high potential for positive economic growth in the area and will play a vital role in the much-needed worldwide environmental programme,” it stated.
While definitive lab results of the drilled cores are still awaited, samples of crushed ore found around existing small mines in the area determined an average grade of 1% nickel and 477 ppm (parts per million) of cobalt, the company noted.
Significantly, as part of an academic collaborative arrangement with Sultan Qaboos University (SQU), the core recovered from the initial holes have been field-logged and moved to SQU’s Earth Science Ophiolite Research Centre for cutting and sampling in line with international best practices. The underlying goal is to support the development of expertise and knowledge within Oman’s mining industry, said Knights Bay.
Separately, a large sample of the laterite ore has been shipped to South Africa for metallurgical testing, the company added.
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