300 
MINERALS YEARBOOK, 1985 
Tab 
le 8.—U.S. 
imp6rt duties for cobalt 
 
 
tern 
vsus 
No. 
Most favored nation (MFN) 
Non-MFN 
 
 
 
Jan. 1, 1985 Jan. 1, 1987 
Jan. 1, 1985 
 
Alloys unwrought            Chemical compounds: 
Oxide_                  
 
Sulfate                  
63286 
 
418.60 
 
418.62 
99' advalorern —— 99' advalorern_ 
1.2centsper 1.2centsper pound.  pound.1.4%advalorem_ 1.4%advalorem 
450/ advalorern 
 
20centsper pound. 
6.5%advalorern. 
. 
Other_                  
418.68 
4.7% ad valorern_ 4.2%advalorern_ 
30%advalorem. 
 
Ore andconcentrate            
601.18 
Free Free          
Free. 
 
Unwroughtrnetal,wasteandscrap 
632.20 
~~_do do       
Do. 
 
 
WORLD REVIEW 
 
 After months of negotiations, Falconbridge Ltd., a Canadian cobalt and nickel
producer, concluded a supply contract that resulted in a number of changes
in the structure of the international cobalt market. Under the terms of the
14-year contract, Falconbridge was to receive the majority of the matte produced
by Bamangwato Concessions Ltd. (BCL), of Botswana. All of the matte had formerly
been sent to the AMAX Nickel refmery in Louisiana. BCL reportedly requested
termination of the AMAX Nickel contract because of a better offer from Falconbridge.
The termination of the contract was subject to a number of conditions, which
included compensation for the balance of AMAX Nickel's 15-year contract and
for the cost of the impending closure of the Port Nickel refinery. BCL matte
production was estimated at 57,000 short tons per year. The contract provided
for the delivery to the Faconbridge refmery at Kristiansand, Norway, of about
7,000 tons of matte in 1985, 23,000 tons in 
1986, and its full allocation of 46,000 tons annually from 1987 until the
end of the contract in 1999. The feedstock was to enable Falconbridge to
produce an additional 500,000 pounds of cobalt in 1987 without installing
additional cobalt production capacity. The Falconbridge acquisition of the
BCL matte was due, in part, to a decision by Western Platinum Ltd. (Wesplat)
of the Republic of South Africa, to build its own refinery, ending the practice
of sending its matte to Kristiansand for refining. The remaining 11,000 tons
per year of BCL matte was slated to go to Rio Tinto (Zimbabwe) Ltd. (RTZ).
After the failure of AMAX Nickel to have the Agnew matte refined elsewhere,
AMAX Nickel agreed to terms for the sale of the majority of the matte to
Sherritt Gordon Mines Ltd., of Canada, and to Outokumpu Oy, of Finland. At
yearend, the disposition of the 
remainder of the Agnew matte was undecided. 
 Albania.—The scheduled completion of a nickel-cobalt refinery
was
delayed owing to a scarcity of hydroelectric power. The facility, which was
being built by Salzgitter Industriebau GmbH, a West German firm, was expected
to be completed in late 1986. 
 Brazil.—Cia. NIquel Tocantins increased its cobalt production
by signing
a toll refining agreement with Falconbridge. The 2year contract called for
approximately 120,000 pounds of cobalt per year to be refined at Falconbridge's
refinery in Norway. Tocantins' 1985 cobalt production capacity of about 150,000
pounds per year at its São Paulo facility was expected to double
by
yearend 1986. 
 Canada..—Inco Ltd. and Falconbridge, both cobalt and nickel producers,
introduced voluntary early retirement plans in an effort to reduce the number
of workers at their Sudbury, Ontario, facilities. In addition, Inco was trying
to reduce the work force at its Port Colborne, Ontario, refmery. 
 The Ontario, Canada, Provincial government issued new standards on the emissions
of sulfur dioxide, which were to have a direct impact on two cobalt and nickel
producers. Inco was told to achieve a target level at its Sudbury operation
of 292,000 tons per year of sulfur dioxide by reducing emissions by 77% from
its 1980 base level of 1.273 million tons per year. Inco had already reduced
its emissions by adjusting its feed to reduce the quantity of sulfur contained
in the concentrates. Any further reduction, however, was to come from the
use of new technology and was expected to be expensive. Falconbridge was
to be required to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions from its Sudbury operations
from the thencurrent 170,000 tons per year to 110,000 tons per year. 
 Inco improved its productivity by 13% in