Asia

Eti Aluminyum of Turkey has the rare distinction of possessing one of a very small number of fully integrated facilities in the world. General manager Mehmet Arkan talks to Julia Smith about the company’s capabilities and plans.

Iran’s Petroleum Engineering and Development Company has signed a deal with Russia’s Tatneft to develop the dormant Zagheh heavy oil field in Iran.

Zagheh is located 25 kilometres from the port city of Deilam.

The deal, which was signed yesterday, will bring production capacity at the oil field to 7,000 barrels per day in the first phase and 55,000 in the second phase.

The first well of the oil field, which was drilled many years ago, had been abandoned; however there are now plans to gain more accurate data on the heavy oil field.

Afferro Mining has agreed to sell its 38.5 per cent interest in its Putu iron ore project in Liberia to Russia’s second biggest steelmaker.

Severstal, one of the world’s leading vertically integrated steel and steel-related mining companies, already owns the remaining 61.5 per cent of Putu through its subsidiary, Lybica Holdings.

Afferro will receive a cash payment of $65 million on completion of the deal. It said it would use the funds from the sale to accelerate its development strategy for its 100 per cent owned Nkout iron ore project in Cameroon.

Steel production in India may not match the volumes being produced in China but it is still a massive industry, as Alan Swaby learns in conversation with one of the most productive manufacturers in the country.

The Indian economic boom is such a hot topic of discussion in the media that we tend to think of it as a recent development. The quickening pace actually goes back to 1991, when the government opened up the economy to outside interests—but the seeds were sown even before that date.

Logistics has become a critical component for economic success in today’s global scenario and Container Corporation of India is showing the way—by educating the farmer and helping everyone to reap rich rewards.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner arrived yesterday in Beijing, marking its debut in mainland China.

The arrival of the all-new jet marks the start of a six-month worldwide ‘Dream Tour’.

The aircraft will be in China, one of the world’s fastest-growing aviation and travel markets, until December 11, with stops in Beijing, Guangzhou and Haikou.

The tour will give Chinese customers, partners, government officials and media the opportunity to experience the new jet first-hand, Boeing said.

The Iraqi Ministry of Oil has signed a joint venture agreement with Shell, the South Gas Company and Mitsubishi Corporation on an initiative to capture natural gas in southern Iraq.

The South Gas Company (SGC), an affiliate of the Ministry of Oil, will take 51 per cent in the joint venture, the Basrah Gas Company (BGC). Shell will take 44 per cent and Mitsubishi will take five per cent.

As Jeff Daniel learns, the very latest telecommunications technology isn’t necessarily found in Western countries.

It’s not so long ago that travellers from the West, wanting to make a phone call back home from some less developed country in the world, could be left tearing their hair out in frustration. Back street booths, poor quality and unreliable connections were commonplace and were easily disparaged as examples of lack of technological development.

Bazlan Osman, group chief financial officer of Telekom Malaysia, talks to Jayne Alverca about the company’s achievements and challenges in one of the world’s most competitive markets.

2011 has been an excellent year for Telekom Malaysia (TM). Despite fierce competition, the company has continued to attract new customers and maintained its leadership position in the broadband segment with 1.7 million customers in June 2011, showing growth of almost 12 per cent over the previous year. 

Vancouver-based Silvercorp has acquired China’s SX Gold Mining Company for US$22.75 million, it has been announced.

The company has made the purchase through its 77.5 percent owned subsidiary Henan Found Mining Co. A payment of $19.6 million has already been made, with the balance due upon completion of the share transaction and the transfer of the mining and exploration permits.