Metalnewsnet 21 Apr:

Sumitomo Corp., Japan's third- biggest trader, said ore shipments to a Chilean port from its zinc and silver mine in Bolivia have been halted since protesters blocked a key railway access early last week.

Protests by local residents have blocked a railway linking the San Cristobal mine, 100 percent owned by Sumitomo, and the main railway network to the Mejillones port in Chile since April 12, Koji Furui, the Tokyo-based company's spokesman, said today by phone. On April 16, its office in Avaroa near the border with Chile, was seized by protesting locals, he said.

"At the moment, we are coping with shipments to clients from stockpiles at the port," said Furui. He declined to comment on how much it has currently stockpiled at the port.

The San Cristobal mine, in the central Potosi region, produces some 1,300 metric tons of zinc-silver ore, and 300 tons of lead-silver ore per day. The mine exports mineral ore to Japan, South Korea and Europe, Furui said.

Sumitomo took over full ownership of the mine, the world's sixth-largest producer of zinc and the third-biggest in silver, last year after partner Apex Silver Mines Ltd. filed for bankruptcy.

(From Bloomberg)