Namibian drilling contractor Optimine has secured Kaoko Metals’ maiden diamond drilling contract, with mobilisation to the company’s Chalkos copper project expected within two weeks as the Australian explorer prepares to launch its first drilling campaign in Namibia.
The contract marks Kaoko Metals’ transition from surface exploration to active drilling and will see Optimine undertake an initial 2,000-3,000-metre diamond-drilling programme at the Donkey Hill and Otniel prospects in the Kaoko Belt, where copper mineralisation has already been mapped at surface.
According to the Australian newspaper, the maiden campaign will be the first systematic drill test of the two prospects and is designed to determine the depth, continuity, and orientation of the copper mineralisation beneath and along-strike from the exposed mineralised zones.
The company will also use the programme to improve its understanding of the structural controls governing mineralisation across the broader Chalkos project.
Kaoko Metals managing director Gerard O’Donovan said the award of the contract represented a significant milestone in the company’s exploration programme.
“The award of our maiden diamond drilling contract marks the beginning of an exciting new phase for the company as we transition into active drilling operations in the field,” O’Donovan said.
He said Optimine was selected through a competitive tender process because of its technical capability, safety record, equipment and extensive operational experience in Namibia.
“Drilling at Donkey Hill and Otniel will proceed alongside the advancing Karibib programme,” he said.
Optimine is a Namibian-owned drilling company providing diamond-core, reverse-circulation, underground, exploration and geotechnical drilling services across Namibia and southern Africa.
Kaoko Metals said the contractor’s local expertise and experienced workforce would support the safe and efficient execution of the drilling campaign.
As drilling progresses, recovered core will be logged and sampled to establish the geometry of the mineralised system and identify the geological structures controlling copper mineralisation.
Assay results will be incorporated into the company’s geological model to guide future exploration and subsequent drilling programmes.
The Chalkos project is located in Namibia’s underexplored Kaoko Belt.
This geological province has attracted increasing attention due to its similarities to the Central African Copperbelt, one of the world’s largest sediment-hosted copper districts.
Alongside the Chalkos campaign, Kaoko Metals is continuing geochemical sampling at its Karibib gold-copper-tungsten project in the Damara Belt, with results expected to help define additional exploration targets.
