Austin Engineering manufactures largest excavator bucket to date
A bucket for a Hitachi EX8000-6 hydraulic excavator, with a capacity of 48m3, is the largest excavator bucket ever manufactured by Austin Engineering globally. Measuring 4,840 x 4,310 x 5,550 mm in size, the EX8000-6 features an ESCO Nemysis N539430 5 station cast lip and is designed to operate within the machine’s maximum suspended load. Manufactured at Austin’s Brisbane Operation, the bucket was designed based on the site specific material specifications to maximise the excavator’s productivity. The bucket has been delivered to a Hunter Valley (NSW) mine site and will go into operation this month.Austin Engineering are one of the global industry leaders in the design and manufacture of mining buckets to suit excavators, front end loaders and wheel loaders. Their JEC designs, ranging from 1.5m3 to 52m3, are suitable for any application whether hard rock, iron ore, or coal. From high production lightweight buckets through to heavy duty armoured buckets, each bucket is customised to suit the specific application. To maximise machine efficiency Austin Engineering engineer the bucket to capacity match bucket weight and material density and undertake pass matching – this results in faster cycle times.Austin Engineering describes itself as a “leading designer and manufacturer of customised dump truck bodies, buckets and ancillary products used in the mining industry.” It is also a complete service provider, offering on and off-site repair and maintenance and heavy equipment lifting services to customers including miners, mining contractors and original equipment manufacturers.
Twenty American mining operations – six coal mines and 14 mineral/metal mines – won “Sentinels of Safety Awards” awards in recognition of their outstanding mine safety achievements during 2014. An American mine also won the annual Mine Safety and Health Technology Innovations Award from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).The Sentinels awards, sponsored annually by the National Mining Association (NMA), recognise coal and mineral mining operations in ten categories for recording the most hours in a calendar year without a single lost-time injury. A minimum of 4,000 hours are required for award consideration. The award categories reflect the safety accomplishments of both small and large mines.“These awards are a timely reminder of the importance of safety in the mining industry and of the further progress we are making to ensure every miner returns home safely after each and every shift,” said NMA President and CEO Hal Quinn.“The companies we honour today are the true sentinels of safety, not only the safest mines in this country but among the safest mines in the world,” Quinn said. “The industry is inspired by the example they have set.”Initiated in 1925 by then Commerce Secretary Herbert Hoover, a former mining engineer, the Sentinels of Safety Award program has helped foster a strong safety commitment on the part of US mines.In addition, R.J. Matetic, director of the Pittsburgh Mining Research Division, Office of Mine Safety and Health Research, NIOSH, awarded the 2015 Mine Safety and Health Technology Innovation Award for extraordinary efforts, above and beyond mandatory requirements, to apply technology in ways that will improve mine worker safety or health. This year’s award recognised NMA member Murray Energy Corporation of Columbus, Ohio, for developing a fire suppression technology using a stored energy compressed air foam system that can be deployed in coal mines.Sentinels of Safety Award winners in 2014 include – the Skyline mine in Utah is the one pictured:Underground CoalSkyline MineBowie Resource Partners, LLC577,486 Injury-Free HoursCarbon Hill MineProspect Mining and Development Company, Inc.89,576 Injury-Free HoursSurface CoalJewett MineTexas Westmoreland Coal Co.836,853 Injury-Free HoursNo. 1 StripBeechwood Coal, LLC31,400 Injury-Free HoursCoal Processing FacilityBull Mountain Mine #1Signal Peak Energy, LLC292,390 Injury-Free HoursRed Bud Dock No. 1Appalachian Mining & Reclamation LLC27,029 Injury-Free HoursUnderground MetalLee Smith MineSmall Mine Development LLC174,710 Injury-Free HoursTroy Mine Inc.Hecla Mining Company100,758 Injury-Free HoursUnderground NonmetalMaysville MineCarmeuse Lime and Stone Co.212,385 Injury-Free HoursRich Hill Underground MineHanson Aggregates47,160 Injury-Free HoursOpen PitSheppardArcilla Mining & Land Company, LLC180,913 Injury-Free HoursBPM Lovell MineBentonite Performance Minerals LLC16,938 Injury-Free HoursQuarrySte. Genevieve FacilityTower Rock Stone Co.202,659 Injury-Free HoursPortable #1West Hawaii Concrete12,080 Injury-Free HoursDredgeBriggs PlantFordyce Holdings Inc.203,452 Injury-Free HoursCountry SideCountry Side Sand & Gravel, Inc.10,394 Injury-Free HoursBank or PitVista SandLonestar Prospects LTD184,867 Injury-Free HoursPortable Plant #1Associated Constructors, LLC9,367 Injury-Free HoursMetal/Nonmetal MillCopperton ConcentratorKennecott Utah Copper LLC649,385 Injury-Free HoursNokomis QuarryHanson Material Service21,549 Injury-Free Hours
Kinross Gold will proceed with the initial Gilmore expansion project at its Fort Knox gold mine in Fairbanks, Alaska. The initial phase of a potential multi-phase layback of the existing pit is expected to add roughly 1.5 Moz of gold production from Fort Knox by extending mining by six years to 2027, and gold recovery from heap leaching to 2030.The National Mining Association (NMA) reports that “communities in which Kinross has mines are home for its employees, so it is committed to being a good neighbour, creating jobs, contributing important tax revenue, supporting local business investment and donating to local causes.“In 2017, the Fort Knox mine provided 625 direct, full-time jobs and 1,200 indirect, local jobs; spent approximately $188 million on goods and services with 350 local Alaskan businesses and vendors; paid approximately $80 million in employee wages and benefits; invested in 90 local organizations; and made $16 million in payments to state and local governments through taxes and fees. To date, Fort Knox has donated $3 million to the University of Alaska Fairbanks in endowments and scholarships.”Fort Knox is one of Kinross’ largest producing mines and a centre of excellence for the company as one of the few cold weather heap leach facilities in the world. In 2016, the site poured its seven millionth ounce of gold 20 years into its mine life. It is mined by conventional open-pit methods, with ore processed at a mill and heap leach facility.
The Nordic Investment Bank (NIB) has provided a SEK 1 billion (EUR 96 million) loan to the Swedish mining equipment company Epiroc to finance the company’s R&D investments in Sweden during 2018-2021.The eight-year loan funds Epiroc’s product and service development in the field of rock excavation, automation, interoperability and energy efficiency. “It is anticipated that in the coming years in the mining sector, tools will become more automated and electrified. With this substantial investment in R&D, Epiroc will be able to respond to the trend by bringing to market new products utilising state-of-the-art mining technology.”“The outcome of this R&D project is expected to benefit the NIB member region at large, as Epiroc is an important player in the Nordic mining sector. The sector consists of excavation companies, technology providers and universities. In this type of R&D, projects are likely to be widely spread throughout the Nordic–Baltic economies through knowledge distribution and increased added value for the skills associated with mining. The investments are also expected to expand market opportunities supporting employment and deliveries.”Epiroc provides equipment for drilling and rock excavation, and a range of related consumables and service to customers in more than 150 countries. The company has more than 13,000 employees. Its principal product development and manufacturing units are located in Sweden, the United States, Canada, Germany, China and India. Epiroc was part of the Atlas Copco Group, founded in 1873, until June 18, 2018 when Epiroc was demerged from Atlas Copco and listed on the stock exchange.NIB is an international financial institution owned by eight member countries: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden. The Bank finances private and public projects in and outside the member countries. NIB has the highest possible credit rating, AAA/Aaa, with the leading rating agencies Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s.
Outotec has signed a contract with Morocco-based OCP Group for the delivery of a sulphuric acid plant for fertiliser production.The approximately €80 million ($90.2 million) order has been booked into Outotec’s 2019 March quarter order intake, the company said.Outotec’s delivery includes the engineering, procurement and construction of the plant, which is based on Outotec’s sulphur burning system. The new acid plant will incorporate advanced proprietary technologies such as HEROS heat recovery system as well as a converter, absorption towers and an acid distribution system that are made of the Edmeston SX stainless steel alloy.Outotec said: “With more than 20 acid plants and several mining sites, OCP Group is a global fertiliser producer and leader in the phosphate industry. The acid plant will be built in connection with their existing chemical complexes and support in OCP’s fertiliser production from phosphate rock from their mining processes as a raw material.”Kalle Härkki, Head of Outotec’s Metals, Energy & Water business, said: “Outotec’s sulphuric acid technology has proven to be one of the leading technologies for decades. We are honoured that OCP has selected our design for their new plant.“With our leading technologies providing benefits such as safety, high reliability and enhanced heat recovery we are happy to help OCP reach their sustainability targets.”
(All photos: Krzysztof Mazurek, Irish Culture Foundation)Photos: From Niagara Falls to the pyramids, landmarks go green for Patrick’s Day > Read: 4 Irish sites to visit to get close to St Patrick mythology > Read: 8 people you will definitely see if you go to the parade today > IT BRINGS US right back to the heady days of last summer.Poznan, the host city for Ireland during the European Championships which became the home-from-home for thousands of Irish fans, has become the only Polish city to light up some of its major buildings with green lights for Patrick’s Day.The City Hall, Municipal Stadium and Judges Tower at Malta Lake have all been lit up for three days to “send green greetings” to Ireland.The lights are separate from the Tourism Ireland plan to turn landmarks around the world green; it was organised by a local non-profit organisation called the Irish Culture Foundation which has been promoting Irish culture in Poland for the past decade.Thanks for this, you guys. We haven’t forgotten you either.
THE US NAVY has sent a second ship to the South China Sea to help in the desperate search for a missing Malaysian jet, officials said.The naval destroyer USS Kidd has joined another American destroyer, the USS Pinckney, as Malaysian authorities announced they were doubling the size of the search area for the airliner that vanished without a trace on Saturday with 239 on board.“We are continuing to assist the Malaysian government in search and rescue operations in conjunction with the disappearance of Flight 370,” Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steven Warren told reporters.The two US naval ships are equipped with MH-60 Sea Hawk helicopters, which are equipped with infrared cameras for night-time search operations, he said.On Sunday, the Pinckney spotted debris in the water but officers determined it was not wreckage from the missing airliner and merely “an old shipping crate,” he said.A P-3C Orion surveillance aircraft was already in place and was conducting nine-hour flights from a base in Subang Jaya, Malaysia.An oiler vessel also was deployed to provide logistics support, Warren said.The US government over the weekend sent a team of investigators and experts from the FBI and the National Transportation Safety Board to help with the probe into the missing plane.US officials say it remains unclear if there was any terror link behind the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which had taken off from Kuala Lumpur en route to Beijing.- © AFP, 2014Read: Missing Malaysian plane may have flown for 4 hours after losing contact – report
CAN’T MAKE IT in person? Never fear.If you want to enjoy the marching bands, floats and colours from the comfort of your own gaff, here’s how to do it:Dublin: The biggest parade in the country can be watched live on the RTE player here or on Aertv. Up to half a million people are lining the streets of the capital to take in one of the largest parades in the world, with participants coming from around the world.Cork: The second-biggest parade in the country can be watched on the Cork St Patrick’s Festival website here.New York: Somewhat dogged in controversy this year, the NYC parade begins at 4pm GMT and can be watched live here. The parade will begin at 44th Street in Midtown and will make its way up Fifth Avenue to 79th Street.Any parades in your area being livestreamed? Let us know and we’ll add them to the list.Pic: Niall Carson/PA WireRead: 500,000 people, 1 event… It’s the St Patrick’s Day parade in numbers > Read: Guinness pulls out of sponsorship of NYC Patrick’s Day parade at the last minute >
Saudi Arabia says the oil facility hit by drones and missiles will be fully functional again in 12 days Trump might lose a crucial ally in the Middle East if Netanyahu is unseated as Israel’s prime minister for the first time in a decade A Pittsburgh doctor says Antonio Brown once repeatedly farted in his face during a consultation, and that he owes him $11,500 in unpaid bills Australians could be given free movement to the UK after Brexit THE HEART ATTACK Grill has been in the news recently after its owner ‘Doctor Jon’ Basso gave a bizarre interview on Bloomberg TV where he said his restaurant kills its customers. He even carried the (alleged) cremated remains of a customer with him.And while it’s a macabre gimmick, it’s not entirely inaccurate. Heart Attack Grill is crazy unhealthy: The restaurant’s signature dish is its 9,982-calorie Quadruple Bypass Burger, which weighs a staggering 3 pounds. Customers can order burgers with up to eight patties, all topped with chili, tomato, cheese, onion, and bacon (for an extra fee).Inside, the restaurant has an ironic medical theme with nurse waitresses and hospital-themed decor. Even the customers have to wear hospital gowns, and anyone more than 350 pounds eats for free.Here’s how a trip there for lunch goes:
UKRAINE’S DEFENCE MINISTRY has said its soldiers were “allowed to use arms” after suffering their first casualty in Crimea since Russian and pro-Kremlin troops seized the peninsula nearly three weeks ago.“For their self defence and protection of their lives, Ukrainian servicemen… deployed in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea are allowed to use arms,” the Ukrainian defence ministry said in a statement.Ukraine’s Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk told an emergency government meeting that “the conflict is shifting from a political to a military stage”.“War crime”“Russian soldiers have started shooting at Ukrainian military servicemen, and that is a war crime,” he said at the nationally televised session.He was speaking after President Vladimir Putin signed a treaty claiming Crimea as Russian territory following the Black Sea region’s overwhelming vote on Sunday in favour of switching from Ukrainian to Kremlin rule. (AFP/YouTube)Regional defence ministry spokesman Vladislav Seleznyov told AFP the soldier had died after being shot in the neck when a group of gunmen stormed a Ukrainian military base in the northeast of Crimea’s main city of Simferopol.Seleznyov said another soldier was wounded but did not specify whether the base was stormed by Russian soldiers or pro-Kremlin militia who also patrol the peninsula.The defence ministry spokesman said pro-Russian forces had by late Tuesday taken complete control of Ukraine’s Simferopol base.“The centre has been taken under their full control. All the servicemen inside were lined up in a row and their documents seized,” he said.“They were all informed that they were under arrest.” Armed men walk a roof of an Ukrainian military unit in Simferopol. (Image Credit: AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)Seleznyov said he could not immediately say how many Ukrainian soldiers had been arrested or the number of pro-Russians involved in the attack.There was no immediate reaction to the reported death from either Russian authorities in Moscow or the peninsula’s rebel leadership.Russian forces took de facto control of the peninsula at the beginning of March after the toppling last month of the pro-Kremlin regime in Ukraine and the rise to power of a new Western-backed administration that is seeking closer ties with the European Union.InjuredUkraine’s navy chief Sergiy Gayduk had told the same government meeting that an officer had been shot and injured in the leg “during an attack against a base in Simferopol.”He did not specify where or when the attack happened or who was behind it and it was not immediately clear if it was the same incident.An AFP reporter outside a Ukrainian military unit in a suburb northeast of Simferopol heard a burst of gunfire coming from the building and saw two ambulances driving into the areaThe region around the military unit was sealed off by what appeared to be pro-Moscow militants.“Armed attempts to take over (Ukrainian) military units have multiplied in recent days,” Gayduk said.- © AFP, 2014Today’s developments: 8 things that have been said and done on the Crimean crisis >
Updated 22.45pm A MINOR EARTHQUAKE shook parts of the south east this evening.Although initial readings from Irish seismograms were unclear, an Welsh station closest to Ireland picked up a faint tremor at roughly 8.45pm this evening.Most reports on social media show that the quake was felt strongest in Wexford, with residents reporting to have heard a loud bang shortly before 9pm this evening.Others felt a rumble that lasted a few seconds.There been no reports of damage so far.Initial readings of data from Irish National Seismic Network were inconclusive, with Director Tom Blake telling this website that further investigations will be conducted as soon as possible.A station in Carrickbyrne, Wexford, picked up no obvious tremor, but Blake said initial readings from the Welsh seismograph show that it was of a “low magnitude”.He has asked anyone who felt the quake to fill out this questionnaire.Did you feel the quake? Let us know in the comments below.Pic: British Geological SurveyOriginally published 9.43pmRead: Magnitude 2.6 earthquake off Cork coast rattles doors and confuses locals >
Veteran republican Ivor Bell appeared before magistrates in Belfast this morning charged with aiding and abetting in the murder of the 37-year-old in December 1972.His solicitor denied any link to the killing. Bell was denied bail, and remanded in custody to appear again before court next month.Adams has reiterated several times that he played no part in the abduction and killing — most recently in the wake of a documentary broadcast last year, in which a former IRA commander linked him to the case.The Sinn Féin President said at the time:I had no act or part to play in either the abduction, the killing or the burial of Jean McConville, or indeed any of these other individuals.Here’s his statement today in full:Due process prevents me from commenting on the recent charging of a man in relation to the death of Jean McConville. This is now a matter for the courts.However, the killing of Jean McConville and the disappearing of her remains was wrong and a grievous injustice to her family.The injustice suffered by the McConville family is one of many legacy issues relating to the conflict.We must bear in mind in all of this that there has been a virtual amnesty for British armed forces including state and state-sponsored killings.It is Sinn Féin’s view that legacy issues and dealing with the past, including past conflict events, are best addressed through an independent, international, truth recovery process.In the absence of that, we have agreed to and are seeking the implementation of the Haass compromise proposals. These include the right of families to choose whether to pursue legal action or to seek maximum truth recovery. Read: Families of ‘The Disappeared’ tell their stories as Adams repeats McConville denialRead: Jean McConville family launch civil action against PSNI & MoDGerry Adams: I played no part in the abduction and killing of Jean McConville SINN FÉIN LEADER Gerry Adams has released a statement reacting to this morning’s court appearance relating to the murder of Jean McConville over 40 years ago.He says that what happened to the mother of ten was “wrong” and a “grievous injustice to her family”.Adams goes on to state that:It is Sinn Féin’s view that legacy issues and dealing with the past, including past conflict events, are best addressed through an independent, international, truth recovery process.
VIGILS WERE HELD today in Glasnevin Cemetary in Dublin and Galway city to pay tribute to the women of the Magdalene Laundries.In Glasnevin Cemetary, a representative from Justice for Magdalenes made an address which was followed by the laying of flowers at each grave and a memorial to the women.The vigils are taking place in the week preceding International Women’s Day aims to remember the women of the Magdalene Laundries, many of whom are buried in Glasnevin.In Galway, messages from the Irish Women Survivors and the Justice for Magdalenes groups were read out at the ‘Women of the Magdalene laundry’ memorial statue, Forster Street.Playwright Patricia Burke Brogan performed a reading from her work and Galway singers Treasa ni Cheannabhain and Roisin Elsafty gave a rendition of a new song ‘The Laundry Girls’.This was followed by a small flower laying ceremony on the women’s graves in Bohermore.Read: Calls for Magdalenes to be given independent legal advice>More: Nearly 800 inquiries about Magdalene Laundries fund>
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