On January 6-11, 2004 a delegation of ALROSA top managers and experts headed by President Vladimir Kalitin will be in Canada for a tour of Canada’s northern diamond mining operations.
The delegation will also meet counterparts from BHP Billiton, RioTinto, and De Beers, and make tours of Ekati and Diavik to get first-hand knowledge of diamond mining in Canada.
The history of exchanges between ALROSA and the then Australian BHP dates back to the mid-1990s.
In 2001-2003 ALROSA was engaged in negotiations with BHP Billiton, as it became known after the merger, discussing possible lines of mutually beneficial co-operation between the two major diamond producers.
Both companies have acquired abundant and absolutely unique experience in diamond exploration and mining under similar Arctic climatic conditions.
In 2003 the companies’ experts maintained active contacts, especially in the field of mining technologies and process management.
The experience acquired by Rio Tinto, another major diamond mining company, is also of great interest, especially where it concerns ‘fly-in – fly-out’ mining. A few years ago an ALROSA delegation already visited Argyle operated by Rio Tinto.
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