Vale and Eramet have been forced to suspend operations at nickel mines in New Caledonia following a Category 3 cyclone that hit the country on Monday April 10.

A suspended Philippine nickel miner has asked President Rodrigo Duterte to allow it to ship ore stockpiles after some cargoes were seized as tensions escalated over a required fee it claimed was illegal.

Environment Secretary Gina Lopez will not overturn her decision to require suspended mining companies who want to remove their stockpiles to allot additional P2 million for a trust fund.

Chamber of Mines of the Philippines (COMP), which is composed of the country’s biggest miners, will contest the order of Environment Secretary Gina Lopez to impose additional trust fund for suspended mining companies.

Environment Secretary Gina Lopez has called out Finance Secretary Carlos “Sonny” Dominguez for trying to “usurp” her powers through the creation of the Mining Industry Coordinating Council (MICC).

Indonesia's state-owned miner Aneka Tambang (Antam) ANTM.JK has been granted an initial approval to export up to 2.7 million tonnes of nickel ore over the next 12 months, a mining ministry official said on Wednesday.

Mines shared by Tianma Group and Dinagat has been exploited comprehensively, with 130,000mt mines in the storage yard already. Port finishes extending and is capable of shipping.

The Philippines’ environment ministry has allowed eight suspended nickel ore miners to ship out stockpiles of mined ore, sources told Reuters, temporarily boosting supply from the world’s top exporter of the raw metal after a major crackdown.