Company Information for Maghreb Minerals Plc

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Company Statement
Maghreb Minerals plc (“Maghreb” or “the Company”) is listed on AIM in London, UK, and is exploring and completing advanced stage evaluation on deposits containing base metals (lead and zinc), silver and industrial minerals (barite and fluorite) along the highly prospective Mejerda zone in northern Tunisia. Its principal focus is on former producing mines with existing infrastructure.
The Company holds 10 exploration permits in areas of known zinc-lead-barite-fluorite mineralisation, including four sites of past production.
The Company’s principal project is at one of the past producing mines, Gite de l’Est - Bou Jabeur, where there was an earlier resource estimate1 of 5.1Mt grading 3.76% Zn, 1.38% Pb, 33.2% BaSO4 and 9.3% CaF2. The first objective here was to get a resource statement for the known mineralisation in accordance with international reporting standards.
Verification and step out drilling has been completed by the Company at the Gite de l'Est deposit. A considerable improvement for the new resource estimate is expected with the inclusion of the Company's recent drilling results and re-analyses of old ONM cores, which appear to have under-reported zinc values by up to 40%. Mining and metallurgical scoping studies are in progress, undertaken by Scott Wilson and SGS Lakefield Europe respectively.
Delineation drilling is in progress at the Fej Lahdoum exploration permit where the past producing Dar N'Hal Nord mine is located. This mine stopped production in September 2005 when the Bou Grine mill and concentrator shut down.
Exploration and drilling at Djebba has confirmed and slightly extended the deposit there. The Djebba resource estimate1 stands at approximately 4Mt grading 6% Zn and 3% Pb. Gravity surveys have indicated further exploration targets to the northeast at Djebel Goraa, which will be drill tested in due course.
Exploration on other permits will continue particularly around the highly prospective Lorbeus area, 4 km south west of Breakwater’s Bou Grine mill and concentrator, which is on care and maintenance. Partners are being sought to accelerate further surveys and exploration drilling on the Djebel Lorbeus permit.
The first phase of exploration drilling has been completed on the Zriba - Guebli exploration permit. An ONM resource estimate1 of 4.8Mt grading 25% CaF2 is given as remaining in the fluorite deposit. The drilling results show that there are significant quantities of fluorite present but with rapidly varying thickness. A preliminary geological study indicated the deposit has mining potential. A study on the viability of mining and extending the resource is required. Expressions of interest for the provision of funding both to accelerate towards the development for the fluorite project and production offtake have been received.
The Company's current priority is to bring one or more of its base metal exploration permits at past producing mines through scoping to pre-feasibility, starting with Gite de l'Est - Bou Jabeur, which has produced some excellent step out drilling results. Maghreb is in discussions and welcomes enquiries regarding the possibility of joint venturing on one or more of its exploration permits.
Current Operations
TUNISIA
Maghreb Minerals plc (“Maghreb”, “Company”, “Group”) has a strong and secure portfolio of ten exploration permits in Tunisia, all of which are in good standing.
Maghreb, through its wholly owned subsidiary, High Marsh Holdings BVI (“HMH”), holds the 100% rights to the exploration permits Djebel Fej Lahdoum, Ouled Moussa, Koudiat Louatia, Djebel Lorbeus, Djebba, Djebel Goraa, Hammam Zriba- Jebel Guebli, Jebel el Mecella, Jebel el Kohol and Sidi et Taia.
Ouled Moussa was acquired on 14 August 2005 covering possible extensions of the Gite de l’Est mineralisation to the north east of Bou Jabeur. Exploration surveys and drilling have subsequently led to this permit being dropped on 12 May 2008. Djebel Goraa was acquired on 30 August 2006. It lies to the north east of the main Djebba exploration permit and covers an area with an apparently similar geological setting and gravity anomaly as the main deposit at Djebba. In November 2006 four exploration permits in the Zaghouan area, covering the past producing fluorite mine at Hammam Zriba – Jebel Guebli, as well as lead – zinc deposits and occurrences at Jebel el Kohol, Sidi et Taia and Jebel el Mecella were formally approved by the Ministry of Industry (“the Zaghouan permits”) and gazetted. The Djebel Lorbeus exploration permit (16 km2) was approved by the Ministry of Industry on 22 December 2006. It covers a highly prospective area adjacent to Koudiat Louatia (4 km2) permit, 4 kilometres (“km”) south-west of the recently closed Breakwater Bou Grine lead–zinc mine. The Koudiat Louatia permit was explored and regarded to have limited potential and was dropped on 12 May 2008.
As with all the other exploration permits held by the Group in Tunisia these permits were granted for an initial period of three years and can be renewed for two further three year periods.
In addition Maghreb through its wholly owned subsidiaries has signed agreements to earn a 90 per cent interest in two exploration permits, with the Office National des Mines (“O.N.M.”) holding the other 10 per cent, over the former mine concessions and past producing mines at Bou Jabeur and Fej Lahdoum.
Geographical Spread
Tunisia
Board of Directors and Key Management
| Richard J. Linnell | Chairman |
| Richard J Collier | Chief Executive Officer and CFO |
| Albert C. Gourley | Director |
| Anthony V. Allen | Director |
| James C. Passin | Director |
| Carlos Nascimento | Country Manager Tunisia |
Company AddressBlackwell House
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Additional Address/Key ContactGeneral enquiries to: |
CapitalAs of 30 July 2009, the total number of shares in issue is 91,033,981 |
Year End30 June |
Nominated BrokersHanson Westhouse Limited | Nominated AdvisorsHanson Westhouse Limited |
Major Shareholders
| Shareholder | 30 June 2009 | |
| (Number ‘000) | 30 June 2009 | |
| (%) | ||
| Firebird Global Master Fund II Ltd | 13,903 | 15.27 |
| J P Morgan Clearing Corp | 8,000 | 8.79 |
| Pershing Nominees Limited | 7,178 | 7.88 |
| Barclayshare Nominees Limited | 6,926 | 7.61 |
| TD Waterhouse Nominees (Europe) | 4,822 | 5.30 |
| L R Nominees Limited | 4,040 | 4.44 |
| BNY (OCS) Nominees Limited | 3,571 | 3.92 |
| Forest Nominees Limited | 2,182 | 2.40 |
| Jim Nominees Limited | 1,764 | 1.94 |
| Lynchwood Nominees Limited | 1,420 | 1.56 |
Related News
27/07/09 - Maghreb Minerals Blames The Close Season For Lack Of News On Any Progress In Tunisia21/10/08 - Maghreb Minerals Won’t Have Much Longer To Wait For Its All-Singing, All-Dancing Report On The Gite De L’Est Project
15/01/08 - Maghreb Minerals Gets A Lucky Break
Most Recent Statement
03/11/09 - Holding(s) in Company16/10/09 - Notice of Extraordinary General Meeting
16/10/09 - Preliminary Results for the Year Ended 30 June 2009
16/10/09 - Notice of Annual General Meeting and Posting of Annual Report
30/09/09 - Amendment to Terms of Loan Note Instrument
01/07/09 - Amendment to Terms of Loan Note Instrument

