RUSAL's Conakry port activities cleared to resume

The landing operations and alumina storage activities at Conakry port of Russian aluminium giant RUSAL have been cleared to resume, a letter from Guinean authorities seen by Reuters on Saturday said.

Authorities in the resource-rich West African state on Wednesday sent security forces to halt RUSAL's alumina exports from the port following a row over pollution caused by the firms activities.

Guinean officials had insisted that export restrictions will remain in place until a solution to pollution from alumina dust had been found.

The letter dated March 4 from Guinea's national environment directorate to the commander of the police unit that sealed RUSAL port facilities, temporarily lifted the stop order while the parties seek a solution.

"Following a March 1 memorandum on the closure of RUSAL facilities, hereby I authorise the reopening for loading and unloading of soda...maintenance and administrative work," Safiatou Diallo national director of environment said in the letter.

"As for the loading of boats, a committee will be formed by the environment ministry to inspect measures put in place so as to mitigate the soaring dust pollution, so as to temporarily enable export operations," the letter said.

RUSAL, the world's second largest aluminium producer had said the dispute was due to a misunderstanding and that operations both at its 640,000 tonnes a year capacity Friguia alumina refinery and at Conakry port had not been affected.

RUSAL's director of public relations in Guinea Youri Grigoryev, declined to comment on Saturday when asked if alumina exports had resumed.

The Russian firm ships alumina, a derivative of bauxite, from Guinea for further refining into aluminium around the world. Guinea is the world's biggest supplier of the aluminium ore bauxite.

"A train with a cargo of alumina was able to offload at the port in the presence of experts from the environment ministry," a RUSAL source said, requesting not to be named.