Members of the International Copper Association Australia (ICAA) Board and representatives of Ok Tedi Mining Limited’s (OTML) smelter customers visited the operations from August 13-14, to gain first-hand understanding of Ok Tedi’s mining and processing operations.

Ok Tedi’s Executive Management team led by Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Peter Graham presented an overview of the business during lunch in honour of the guests on Tuesday 13^th of August, soon after their arrival in Tabubil on a special Ok Tedi chartered flight from Cairns, Australia.

OTML’s Managing Director and CEO Peter Graham said it was important to Ok Tedi that our customers had an understanding of the operations.

“Ok Tedi has shared a long-standing relationship with our smelter customers for many years. This visit has further strengthened our relationship with our customers and we look forward to continuing these mutually beneficial ties into the future. We also had the honour of hosting the ICAA Board on their first visit to our operations, which for Ok Tedi is quite important as our main product is copper concentrate,” Mr Graham said.

OTML’s Deputy CEO and General Manager External Relations, Musje Werror who is also Chairman of the Ok Tedi Development Foundation made a presentation to the ICAA Board covering Ok Tedi’s social and community obligations, and the work of OTDF in the mine associated communities.

Mr Graham and OTML’s General Manager Commercial Cameron Clark accompanied smelter customer representatives to Ok Tedi’s Kiunga Operations, where the visitors were briefed about the Kiunga operations and later showed around the plant by Kiunga Operations Manager Hillary Turnamur and senior staff.

The ICAA Board and smelter representatives were taken on a tour of the mine the following day where they visited the mine lookout giving them a birds eye view of the operations, the mine rebuild site and maintenance workshop. They made a brief visit to the Crusher Relocation Project site, followed by a tour of the Processing Plant and Processing Metallurgy and Analytical Laboratories Laboratory.

CEO of ICAA John Fennell expressed thanks to the Management of Ok Tedi for the hospitality during the visit saying, “The organisation for the visit and the interaction with many of the Ok Tedi mine executives and workers showed what an incredible company they have become.”

Similarly, Taisun Choi, Vice President of Raw Materials Division, LS – Nikko Copper (Korea), one of Ok Tedi’s smelter customers, also expressed gratitude for the invitation to visit Ok Tedi operations.

“On behalf of LS-Nikko, I would like to deliver my deepest gratitude to all members working for OTML for inviting us to Ok Tedi Mine. It was indeed a huge privilege to be invited as one of the members at such a wonderful mine site with great people along with special atmosphere around Tabubil and Kiunga,” he said.

“I was especially impressed to discover the excellent relationship with local community and passion and engagement of operators and managers in your company,” Mr Choi added.

While this visit was the first for the ICAA Board, some of Ok Tedi’s smelter customers have done similar visits to Tabubil and Kiunga in the past; the previous visit being in 2017.