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Hi All. Thanks for ALL your emails, especially from Bill, GLAD TO CONFIRM THAT IT IS DREDGEMASTER POSTING ON IHUB.
I do NOT post on Facebook.
Its 5am here and back to grindstone time. I will look in at ihub after a couple of weeks.
Dredgemaster
Give you some homework, see what you find.
Chieftain Battle Tank Mk I BRITISH. Where wasit first tested in actual combat and what year. Yoy might find a photo of a young man who needs a shave and looks Israeli. ops given you a clue.
Swingfire Wire Guided Missile.?
Ferret, Saladin, Saracen. TO NAME A FEW.
As said previously You need to know how , a Bridge is built, a plane or helicopter functions, before you can dissable them. Long gone aare the Arie Swartz and Bruce Willis Days. WALK QUIETLY WITH A BIG STICK AND IN AND OUT BEFORE ANYBODY KNOWS YOU HAVE GIVEN THEM A VISIT.Thats Engineering. Strengths, Weaknesses, Threats, Thats Planning. My country and government and Father and Grandfather devoted a LOT of TIME AND MONEY TO MY TRAINING. Sney is getting the benefit of that.
Fact is always more interesting than fiction?
THE END.
Dredgemaster
Thanks to ALL for the good wishes.
I think I deserve one day off in 5 months to take care of personal cleanliness, medicare, have a decent meal and talk to family.
HAVE A HAPPY SUNDAY WITH YOUR FAMILIES. WELL IT'S SUNDAY IN THIS PART OF THE WORLD.
Dredgemaster
FYI, at launching of the first two Dredges in Liberia we Named Them, HOME and other one AMATO FAMILY 1.
I am sure it will mean something to someone.
Dredgemaster
Had an email Sney had been downgraded so came to take a look.
I see a lot of the usual BS from wana be but no KNOW NOTHING people.
Downgraded? ONLY ON PAPER.
UPGRADED? YES,YES,YES IN REAL PROSPECTING LICENCES, MINING LICENCES, PROFESSIONAL DREDGE CREWS IN AND FROM SIERRA LEONE, MANAGEMENT AT SENIOR AND LOCAL LEVEL. DIAMONDS AND GOLD.
THIS NEW TEAM HAS DONE MORE IN 4 MONTHS THAN I WOULD HAVE BELIEVED POSSIBLE.
I always said I MAKE MY MONEY ON THE GROIND DOING WHAT I DO BEST BUT TO PROTECT SNEYS INVESTMENT AND INTERESTS MEDIUM AND LONG TERM BOTH SECURITY AND THE URGENT NEED TO TAKE THESE LICENCES BECAME A PRIORITY.
WATCH THIS SPACE.
Dredgemaster
When mining and exploreing you have to think ahead. Just because I took rice, pans, cement, and skirt lengths when I was going to concession did not mean my main core business was a store keeper. I expected a a return on these through makeing friends and building relationships. The return was usualy the better g/t concession which was easier mined and cost less fuel and labor. Now, sney seem to be takeing this a step further with low cost housing and I have no doubt that the chiefs and Government will look more favourably on Sney than those who put nothing in and are seen to be there only to TAKE. JMHO.
Dredgemaster
Agreed, and so they should be, but if people want the licence to be sneys ONLY priority and expect sney to sit around and wait for the powers that be to ok the licence then thats thier call. Sney have the concession. The locals and all dues have been paid, the minerals will still be there when aproval comes. So, lets not let a screw up in paperwork which GoSL have jumped on,to stop business. Use what you have, and who you know to get cash flow in the interrim.
Just my thoughts on the position.
Dredgemaster
The fact is some people do not know how to do business in SL. The dredges may have licences to work on other concessions not leased by sney as per PR. Liberia will require some equipment and that is already in Salone so no shipping therfore the timeframe is easily doable. I for one feel that useing the equipment to generate cashflow while awaiting the LICENCE renewal which seems to be on Africa Time, is good sence. Wonder if anyone has spent time in Youyi Building trying to push through the paperwork? I should have shares in the pepper chicken and bottled water cookery outside the gates with the money I spent there.
GLTU
Dredgemaster
Yes, point being I dont need to like you to work with you, I just want to know that you can do the job. I will listen to you but the final decision and responsibility will be mine and I will not blame anyone else if those decisions are wrong.
Hope that helps.
Dredgemaster
Lets not turn sney boatd into something its not and that is a board without free speach. If you dont like the member or the mod then the Ignore Feature works great and I have used it on one member only as the posts are all repetitive bs.
I am sure if a member or mod without shares was praising sney all the time there would be no call for removal.
Please lets keep this an INFORMATIVE BOARD where All can make money if they so wish and those on the sidelines can wish they had.
I look fotward to reading posts based on charts, history, DD both past and present and for those with a crystal ball even DD on the future.
GLTA, whatever your strategy is.
Dredgemaster
To get rid of overburden sand and keep mining site clear and get paid for it is a massive step forwatd. The Iron Ore Co will probably take All that sney can supply. Has anyone seen the African Minerals site and the amount of concrete that must have been used.
Mr Hales Construction background will have helped them spot an opportunity.
Also in the Gambia, with its tourism and development, sand mining will be a key business in the near future. I as a miner am more interested in the Sewa and Liberia ops and am happy to hear in the PR that they will move forward with that plan in the next few weeks and be busy over the comeing months. All I can say is that it looks like management have had a fruitfull trip around West Africa, have secured funds to move forward soon and should develop cash flow in the short term. As always, actions speak louder than words.
Dredgemaster
London uk ? But, WTF do I know. How dare Sney sell washed river sand from mining to Iron Ore mining op for construction and make cash flow. Why have sney decided to use the dredges to mine in SL on Sewa and in Liberia on St Pauls instead of leaving them doing nothing until Pampana resolved. How dare sney pay back Asher and stay current at same time.
Yeah, many laughed when I proposed some of the above and others had nothing to say. Sorry you missed out on your short term prediction but as always I value your imput and train of thought on trends. However as you know, history does not Always repeat its self if those with the ability to plan for the future get it right.
Dredgemaster
Am I right to think that you have never worked in senior management in Sierra Leone or West Africa. Or you would know that every body thinks they can do the job better and cheaper than you. Yes, they can do it cheaper. They will do everything to undermine you with your boss when he comes to site. Sney will have had that and will have learned from it and put in place measures to make sure it does not happen. Lets see what the next couple of months hold and see if we have some stability.
Dredgemaster
NO, I do not want everbody to agree with me about Sney. I welcome constructive debate, not historical retroric repeated over and over and over. The old saying that you are only remembered for your last screw up and all the right decisions you made are forgotten is obviously true for you. I come from a background where that one great decision you make will not only make me a lot of money but will make those invested a lot of money. ITS CALLED MINING. So if you expect every mining and expl company to make a profit on every concession the own or work then that will not happen. The ability to still be in when the grub stake you have put up comes to fruition is number one. Now, whether the grub stake you have put up is as an employe, management,investor, land owner, or advisor then only you van decide what level of risk to accept.
HOPE THAT HELPS.
Dredgemaster
Yeh, right, lets have skilled men and equipment on downtime and everyone waiting for the the finalisation of Pampana licence. Great Idea I DONT think. If there are no restrictions and you can work on another licence holders concession and make money quickly and have cash flow while youare still focused on Pampana Mining/Expl Lincence and only about 400 km away then I for one agree with this plan. Sney have put in place New People on SL to push forward the Pampana licence so there is NO DOUBT the main focus is still there. I have only mined once in Liberia on the Lofa and found it a great experience and a lot less interfearance from government.
I will repeat, I do not see any reason to have skilled people and expensive equipment parked up and doing nothing while waiting for the Pampana licence.
GLTU
Dredgemaster
imo, we need to look at the window of opportunity and timeframe here. How long to get dredges 400k to Liberian site. Set up site and start dredge opps. Or , a couple of gravel pumps and concentrator sys. Rainy season will stop in Liberia end of November enough for opps. A PR, or something similar saying that equipment and personell will start opps in mid December would be good. With in country resources and the utilisation therof then the timeframe is doable. Load up the kit on the trucks, get accross the Zimmi Bridge and start cash flow soonest. This is no time to hang around, and with a lot of Southerly Winds the land is drying up.
Dredgemaster.
Well, lets pit it this way. If you give gifts or trade you are makeing friends and building relationships. If you give money you are paying for a service. I have found that when mining in remote areas that skirt material, pots and pans, anti malarial meds and mossy nets and fresh bread were the best things I could take. Yes I could have spread some bucks around but then the locals would have to pay for transport and also pay top dollar for these goods. They appreciate that you actualy think about them and there needs.
So maybe sney are takeing this to the next level by diversifying into products that will give them the edge in the countries they want to expand into. If they have identified a need and found a way to make money from that need then thats what it is all about.
Personaly I am a pillage type and like to explore and take what is there and move to next site that has potential. So long term relationships seems to be the only way forward now and they are not built over night. Do not know the answer to your other question and would not like to hazard a guess.
GLYU
Dredgemaster
Ice, where there is chaos there is money to be made. If you can keep your head etc:
Sney management seem to be keeping thier head and I must confess I am excited about a few items in thier PR. Great Plans need Great Implementors so the proof will be in actions.
The one thing that I picked up on is that the expansion into other west african countries will help with import and export and show those countries that they are not just takers but have things to bring to the market. Could be a plus in these types of cultures.
GLTU
Dredgemaster
Sir, there is even gold in sea water, and if you could recover it at a profit it would be happening.
It does not matter that sney has tons and tons of stockpiled black sands if the can not recover the gold and other minerals at a profit. How much ACTUAL loss did they take on the 27.5 tons of black sands that they sold. In other words cost of black sands recovery to income from sales.
Dredgemaster
There is always a chance but at this time only Sney will know what the future holds. IMHO, the correct pilot plant is the key as it seems obvious that the gold in the concentrates is far too fine to be recovered by any plant that sney have at this time. With no work on the terraces and no further expl in the near future then the jv with other licence holders this season will be the telling factor. If they have not got into a cash flow situation by May 2014 then it looks poor. Precarious times in SL and more obsticals to overcome so its a wait and see if these new people in SL can get things done but I would not wait past May 2014. You see IMO, that the Pampana licence is a second priority untill they find a way to recover the fine gold from the concentrates or the g/t from the terraces make it worth while.
GLYU
Dredgemaster
The Pampana concession is not up for auction as Sney have paid all dues and await renewal, as for minerals, a bit of DD will show that the Brits in the main, exploited the minerals in SL when it was a Colony and when SL became Independant the GoSL managed to screw up the mineral and Transportl industry by selling the railway to the Leboneese and takeing over the Iron Ore industry. Also the mining laws are more relaxed and availability of previously used mines with easy access. Add to that the price rise in minerals over the past 13 years and low cost of labour together with SL being a DEVELOPING country and I think you have your answers.
Dredgemaster
Friend, if you check out what happened to ADDAX plant and equipment who are in the same chiefdom as Sney then you may well wonder if Sney have any assets left in SL. I have been told that ADDAX had over $500,000 worth of equipment stolen.
GLYU
Dredgemaster
If you read my previous posts on Mr Hales unrealistic expectations and forward planning then you will know my position.
It will be obvious that with licence suspended that there has been NO Geo work or exploration on the Pampana and I expect NO results, therefor I dont expect a pilot plant any time soon. I do expect a plan B and that is what I see Sney trying to do.
The unfortunate part is Sney is going backwards and has people on DOWNTIME in SL which is a waste of time and money.
Dredgemaster
Thanks, I did not see any actual moneys ringfenced for plant. It was my understanding that they were still trying to find the best processing pilot plant for the sands and that is why they have not sold any of the remaining sands.
I would also look deeper into finances as I think you may have missed something imo.
Dredgemaster
Link please as dont remember that. TIA.
Dredgemaster
The problem these days is that you will see dredges and airlifts on the river but it is almost impossible to know the ACTUAL company as they work on dredge licence holders licence and with the permission of the chief. So a dredge from any company, as long as the concession licence holder or the mining licence holder has paid dredge fees can work anywhere. This would seem part of sneys plan. This is why you need to know the mining laws and rules together with the power that chiefs have. If a mines monitor sees a dredge working then he asks for dredge licence, which is not a great deal of cash and who knows how many dredges are working on the same licence fee ALL OVER SIERRA LEONE.
As for the other, have not bothered checking as see no point and thought that the CEO went native and let his heart rule his head, imo. More humanatarian than viking. Its a hard old world out there but some one has to do it.
Dredgemaster
Cant see any JV there and no dis but this is not the board to talk about them.
GLTU
Dredgemaster
Well, it looks like Sney are paying for the paperwork screw up. They now employ 3 Sierraleonians who work in admin. Could this be part of the deal to fast licence renewal.
O Africa !!! This now reads like a may be, could be, should be, might be but hard to now see will be in there somewhere. The first thing if you want to play the game is KNOW THE RULES. Little thought seems to have gone into the planning in these new ventures as there would be a need for sney to employ and pay dredge operators and thier expenses. Hope nobody gets left in Liberia or even in the Provinces with thier A$$ blowing in the wind.
Then there are the dredge builders, materials and place of Business in Bo.
So, IMO, it looks like Sney is takeing a lateral move into the Construction and Manufacturing Business. I know I previously talked about diversification but I ment in the mining industry. What Next? Turn the Pampana into a Stew Pond and sell fish.
Dredgemaster
Hi, E, there was a mining co in Bo named Majestic but have not delt with them in years. I do remember they haad a great geo and major shareholder named PIPA a Brit woman with great skills. They may be able to help you and Sney.
Dredgemaster.
I will answer you straight away. This is what I know. Travel from Magburaka towards Matatoka, turn right in the market, travel through Yele, Mongeri, over the NOISEY BRIDGE and into Bo, I have been all down that area past Bumpe to Mopende and the other branch to Zimmi and Liberia passing through Waterfront and Gofo. Now if you know the area then post what you know on an open board.
Dredgemaster
None that I know of. Bo is known for mainly Diamonds and some Gold with a dealer on every corner. I think the sand dredges may be more usefull in Gambia.IMO if that is where the building business is. Bo being the second largest city in SL has lots of small industry. Still, everything has to come from Freetown so you pay premium rate for Gas, welding kit, materials as its ALL shipped in. Would have thought better to build in Freetown and transport finished peoduct. However not knowing Sneys logistics I could be wrong. Have heard that they are going to give the Bumpeh Bridge an upgrade. Dont know what to make of all these proposed ventures as it will be hard to keep your finger on the pulse, what with manufacture dredges, opps in Liberia and housing in Gambia. Just seems a lot for a small company like Sney with no actual employees. Or perhaps the system of opps has changed.
CONFUSED.
Dredgemaster
Probably internal politics coupled with the green eyed monster and the ambition of some individual who could not work as a team. Would hate to think what will happen when the find a 11 carat diamond or coloured gem or above in Liberia. Trust, Trust, Trust.
Dredgemaster
Yes, you have been here longer than I and will know how long I have warned about the influence from that quarter.
Started with the FREE country wide geo survey about 7 years ago.
If management had paid a visit to the consulate when I stated that they were amicable and open to all types of ventures, many moons ago, then things could be a lot different now. All it takes is the courage and effort to get out there and talk to them. May have mised the boat.
GLYU
Dredgemaster
Yes, but what part of management was foolish enough to make the mistake as not to lable it as bulksampling.
Dredgemaster
WELL, WELL, WELL. 2 years ago I said that dredges could be built in SL. Some posters were rude when I said there was a market for washed river sand and gravel byproduct.
BUT, WTF do I know about doing business in SL.
The only thing that Gambia excells in is Tourism and groundnut (peanuts) which find thier way to SL. Yes thier is some mineral mining but I suggest you look at how an Australian company was treated before makeing a decision.
Liberia, I Love It. Easy to do business.
Nothing in the PR that I see will move Sney Forward UNLESS, they have STRONG management in SL that can push these JVs, as that is what they are, with ACTUAL licence holders and generate some cash flow. I will look out for Sney Trucks selling sand at the Truck Stops on the Peninsula. Wonder how much they will charge for a trip of sand?
Would have been nice if we were told what is the hold up with Pampana licence as all dues have been paid.
Dredgemaster
With mining Cos in Sl now haveing to deal with, EITI, National Mineral Agency, NRA, MoM, Land Registery, to include but a few that seem to have been added to the beaurocratic system then it is no surprise that several mining Cos seem to have become magicians and dissapeared. Sney is not one of those Cos.
I wonder if Sney had a rep at the meeting in Wellington St, Freetown on October 9th ?
It is no surprise that as now the focus in SL by MoM seems to have moved from diamonds to gold and Iron Ore that the move into diamonds by some Cos is and has happened.
That stuff that I would use to clean my posteria is now more important than ever (PAPERWORK)
With the GoSL firmly in bed with the Chinese and planing several Hydro schemes that will involve the removal of millions of tons of Aluvial and addit precious minerals, as happened at Bumbuna, then mining Cos who own concessions in proposed Hydro areas need to rethink thier way forward.
Just some food for thought.
GLTA
Dredgemaster
With mining Cos in Sl now haveing to deal with, EITI, National Mineral Agency, NRA, MoM, Land Registery, to include but a few that seem to have been added to the beaurocratic system then it is no surprise that several mining Cos seem to have become magicians and dissapeared. Sney is not one of those Cos.
I wonder if Sney had a rep at the meeting in Wellington St, Freetown on October 9th ?
It is no surprise that as now the focus in SL by MoM seems to have moved from diamonds to gold and Iron Ore that the move into diamonds by some Cos is and has happened.
That stuff that I would use to clean my posteria is now more important than ever (PAPERWORK)
With the GoSL firmly in bed with the Chinese and planing several Hydro schemes that will involve the removal of millions of tons of Aluvial and addit precious minerals, as happened at Bumbuna, then mining Cos who own concessions in proposed Hydro areas need to rethink thier way forward.
Just some food for thought.
GLTA
Dredgemaster
Well done, you are now ahead of the game, DD which is hard to find should be spread spareingly. IMHO.
Dredgemaster.
My sources in SL would say you assume to much. My friend at MoM says there was a visitor from the US and that we should have news. Yes the finances are precarious but see it happen all the time in mining. Who knows WHO will finance future ops, only the company.
GLYU
Dredgemaster
Not being an expert in shares, but I would think it is when you buy and when you sell that matters.
Sney is an expl company and to go from expl to mining and producing is not short term.
I have also vented at sney in previous posts and have given the reasons.
I dont believe that a flat statement without explanation is helpful to anyone.
Just to add a point, there is even gold in sea water but like everything else extracting it in a profitable way has yet to be found.
GLTY
Dredgemaster