Diavik Reports Successful First Year of Operations
February 10, 04
Diavik Diamond Mines Inc reported a successful first year of operations at the Diavik diamond mine, located 300 kilometers northeast of Yellowknife, with approximately 3.8 million carats of diamonds mined in the 12 months ended December 31, 2003.
Around 26 million tons of waste rock and nearly 1.3 million tons of kimberlite ore have been mined in the search for diamonds.
Lost time for injuries during the year were reduced to three, meeting the company's goal of reducing its lost time injuries by half from 2002.
The year-end snapshot showed a workforce of 631, of which 74 percent were northern residents, exceeding the company's 66 percent commitment.
No other field exploration programs were conducted during the last quarter, apart from a 3,200 line-kilometer airborne gravity gradiometer survey over the western portion of the Diavik claim block. Results of this and other summer work are pending.
Diavik said planning is well in hand to truck approximately 40,000 tons of fuel and other materials in 1,500 loads over the 2004 ice road.