Brochure Sieromco, a subsidiary of Alusuisse, mined bauxite in the concession for more than 32 years, from 1963 until operations were suspended in January 1995 due to internal conflict in Sierra Leone.
In late 2001, SRL, a subsidiary of Titanium Resources Group Ltd, (TRG), acquired the former assets of Sieromco and was granted an exploration license regarding the restart of bauxite operations.
On 10 December 2001 SRL assigned the exploration license to SML and sold to them the Sieromco assets, which comprised of washing plant, workshops, earthmoving and haulage equipment, residential facilities, port facilities and marine fleet.
| Period | Owner | Operator | Achievement/Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 - 1995 | Alusuisse | SIEROMCO | ~32 Years of successful Exploration And Mining |
| ~1995 - ~2002 | Sierra Leone Government | None | ~7 years of political unrest, war and chaos. United Nations Security Council intervened and declared state of unrest |
| ~Jan 2001 - 10 Dec 2001 | Sieraa Rutila Limited | Sieraa Rutile Limited (SRL) | SRL approached Sierra Leone Government and Obtained Exploration Licence, then sold to SML. |
| 10 Dec 2001 - 25 July 2008 | Titanium Reources Ltd | Global Aluminium Ltd/Sierra Mineral Holdings 1 Ltd (SML) | Conduced full Feasibility Study through Aluminpro/Mine Development Associates. Started to mine in January 2006 under PW Mining Internationals as Operator/Manager |
| 25 July 2008 to now | VIMETCO N.V. | Sierra Mineral Holdings 1 Ltd (SMHL) | Mining under PW Mining continued up to 15 November 2010. Then Vimetco introduced Personnel from Romania |
SML completed the restart feasibility study in May 2003 and was successfully presented and accepted by the Sierra Leone Government and a Mining License was issued.
The Operator and mining contract was assigned to PW Mining International, an internationally renowned mining contractor with off-take agreements. Bauxite mining commenced in 2006 and continued till November 2010 at Gondama under the guidance and management of PW Mining.
In July 2008, Vimetco N.V., the global producer of primary and processed Aluminium products, acquired the whole of the issued share capital of Global Aluminium from Titanium Resources Group Ltd. PW Mining International continued to be the managing operator with Vimetco as the new owners until 15th November 2010. This operator contract was then terminated and Vimetco introduced their own mine management and production team. Thus Vimetco moved away from contractor management portfolio to an owner management philosophy.