technical report on the nechalacho deposit, thor lake project ...

Management
Pick-up Truck 3 Management
Van For Crew 1 Crew Change
Cube Van 1 Luggage/Light Freight
Ambulance 1
Fire Truck 1
Spill Response 1
DOCK FACILITY
The shore topography at the GSL about 8 km by road south of the mine site is generally rocky
and steep. The requirements for a barge loading-unloading dock include a water depth of about
three metres near shore and the need for a large (~ 2-ha or more) flat-graded marshalling yard
for fast unloading and loading using large fork trucks.
In the past, barge loads of fuel and equipment were brought in at a convenient bay from which
the existing access road was constructed. A site reconnaissance concluded that this was also
well suited for the permanent dock site with sufficient marshalling space to allow quick
unloading (two to three days) of each barge string of three barges, providing that most or all of
each shipment, including fuel and supplies, will be moved to the mine site before the next barge
train arrives. With this concept, the dock site can be abandoned during the winter months with
perhaps only a few empty containers left at the end of the barging season for pickup and
backhaul by the trucks delivering the first loads of concentrate containers ahead of arrival of the
first barge train with annual supplies and more empty containers. The layout of the dock is
shown in Figure 18-10.
Temporary Barge Dock
As an alternative to the permanent sheet pile dock it is planned to use barges as the dock and
annually bring in barges and dock them to shore. This barge would then be the dock for access
to the barges to be loaded and unloaded. This option is inexpensive and is expected to require
less permitting effort. However, the barges will have to be unloaded one at a time and then
reloaded one at a time which will increase the turnaround time and the amount of equipment
required to attain the planned turnaround time. With the water depth at the Thor Lake site a
single barge moored to land for the summer season may be sufficient to provide a suitable
access to the barge trains that will be brought to the site.
The temporary barge dock would be brought in at the start of each season and removed at the
end of the shipping season. Access to the docked barge would be a short fill ramp from the
GSL yard.
Technical Report 43-101 – March 13, 2011 Page 18-61
Prepared by Avalon Rare Metals Inc.