Ok Tedi Mining Limited (OTML)

OTML acting managing director and chief executive officer, Kedi Ilimbit, made the announcement, saying OTML’s commitment demonstrates the Company’s seriousness in addressing PNG’s escalating COVID-19 situation.

Ilimbit said PGK10 million will be given to the Port Moresby General Hospital and other agencies as determined by the National Government while the other PGK10 million will be used for the procurement, distribution and roll-out of vaccine in Western Province, with priority given to the OTML workforce, contractors and residents.

Sixteen intakes are with the Graduate Development Scheme for a duration of two years, while 24 are trade graduates who will undergo a four-year apprenticeship training.   

OTML Managing Director & CEO, Musje Werror, said: “Ok Tedi’s training programs are second to none and aimed at developing trainees to reach their full potential in their professional career paths and personal development.”  

He said despite the delay in the recruitment drive due to the onset of the pandemic, all trainees are onsite and excited to be part of the Ok Tedi family.   

This follows payment of an interim dividend of PGK150 million in September this year.  

Sir Moi said despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in a six-week suspension of operations, “OTML has had a strong and profitable year and this has enabled the Company to complete the PGK800 million self-funded investment in the Crusher Replacement Project, distribute PGK550 million to our shareholders and retain a strong and debt free balance sheet”.  

“Despite a number of setbacks by the dry weather event at the start of the year and the COVID-19 pandemic, the excellent effort by the major projects team and with support from other departments has enabled the project to be delivered safely and within budget,” said OTML Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Musje Werror. He was speaking during the November 2^nd handover of the new crusher to the operations team as part of the commissioning phase. 

This has occurred despite Ok Tedi implementing a shutdown of all charter flights in and out of Tabubil on Tuesday 28 July 2020. This action was taken in response to the escalation of positive cases in Port Moresby, and with intent of protecting our workforce, our community and our operation.

The source of transmission is a person who travelled from Port Moresby to Kiunga on Friday 31 July 2020 on a commercial airline. Unfortunately, one of the positive cases in Tabubil is an employee who inadvertently caught the virus from a close contact of the Kiunga traveller.

Angela Gul, an intensive care nurse was part of the medevac on June 24 that went to Seltamin village, about 30 minutes by chopper from Tabubil, to rescue young Moses Stanley who had been suffering from diarrhoea and fever for a month.

When the medevac team arrived at the village, the boy was very pale and dehydrated and was lying in his mother’s arm. Young Moses was also a septicaemia patient which added to his deteriorating condition.

Gul was able to stabilise the boy with saline fluids while in the chopper returning to Tabubil.

OTML Managing Director and CEO Peter Graham said the three individuals and their close contacts – who have each been under quarantine – have all been cleared after final medical checks.

Between March 15^th and March 20^th, OTML identified seven (7) potential cases, for whom samples were sent to the PNG Institute of Medical Research (IMR) for testing.

While the results for the first four cases returned negative last week, up until yesterday OTML was still awaiting the results for the remaining three cases.

So far a total of 53,915 people from the Community Mine Continuation Agreement (CMCA) communities, OTML employees, contractors and dependents from Kiunga, Tabubil, Bige and Port Moresby offices, including government workers and other service providers in Tabubil, have registered.

There are currently two teams doing NID registrations for the CMCA villages; one covering land-based villages and the other covering river-based villages.

Land based villages include those along the Kiunga-Tabubil Highway, and river based are located along the Fly River corridor.

This is to progress the roll out of NID registrations in the township and Western Province communities.

To coincide with the opening, the Acting Registrar General of PNG Civil and Identity Registry, Noel Mobiha, under the Civil Registration Act Amended 2014, appointed Jeffrey Tom of Ok Tedi Mining Limited and Benny Gapi, Team Leader of the NID Project based in Tabubil, as mine site registrars.

Manager APD Peter Senat said OTML and the Royal PNG Constabulary (RPNGC) have had a good relationship for many years and this relationship has been further strengthened with the renewing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for another five years.

“We understand the importance of the Mobile Squad carrying out their constitutional duties while on deployment in our operational areas. The two new vehicles have been purchased to replace the existing two.