Winning International Group Vice President and SMB-Winning Consortium Railway Company representative Mr. Tony Sun (front left) and China Railway 18 Bureau Group Co., Ltd. representative Mr. Chen Ertao (front right)
at the contract-signing ceremony.
Winning International Group Vice President and SMB-Winning Consortium Railway Company representative Mr. Tony Sun (front left) and China Railway 14th Bureau Group Co., Ltd. representative Mr. Zhang Zeyong (front right)
at the contract-signing ceremony.
2019 April 26, Qingdao, Shandong, China - The construction of the SMB-Winning Consortium's Dapilon-Santou Railway reached a critical milestone with the signing of the contract with China Railway 18th Bureau Group Co., Ltd and China Railway 14th Bureau Group Co., Ltd. Mr. Tony Sun, Winning International Group Vice President and SMB-Winning Consortium Railway Company representative, Ltd., Mr. Chen Ertao, representative of China Railway 18th Bureau Group Co., and Mr. Zhang Zeyong, representative of China Railway 14th Bureau Group Co. Ltd., respectively signed the railway engineering and construction contracts. The signature officially launches the construction phase of the SMB-Winning Consortium's Dapilon-Santou Railway that will allow a formal start of operation in June, 2021.
Numerous companies have participated in the tender bidding process that allowed to evaluate both technical aspects and work ethics. After the evaluation by the companies' experts, China Railway 14th Bureau Group Co., Ltd. and China Railway 18th Bureau Group Co., Ltd. were chosen to build two relevant segments on the SMB-Winning Consortium's Dapilon-Santou Railway.
"The official signing of the engineering contracts means that the SMB-Winning Consortium's Dapilon-Santou Railway has formally entered the construction phase, and marks a momentous start conducive to the target of formal operation of the SMB-Winning Consortium's Dapilon-Santou Railway by June 16, 2021," Mr. Tony Sun, the Vice President of Winning International Group and representative of the SMB-Winning Consortium Railway Company, remarked after the conclusion of the contract-signing ceremony.
On March 29 this year, the groundbreaking ceremony for the Dapilon-Santou Railway was held in the Dapilon area (pictured above). His Excellency Alpha Condé, President of the Republic of Guinea, was personally in attendance at the ceremony. Thousands of guests were also on-site to attend to the ceremony. Distinguished guests also in attendance at the ceremony included Guinean Minister of Mines and Geology Abdoulaye Magassouba, Minister of Investments and Public-private Partnerships Gabriel Curtis and other government officials, local authorities and international business leaders.
Chief Commander of the SMB-Winning Consortium, honorary consul of Guinea in Singapore and president of Winning International Group Sun Xiushun addresses the audience during the groundbreaking ceremony held in the Dapilon area.
The Dapilon-Santou Railway is located within the Boké and Kindia regions in northwestern Guinea, designed exclusively for the mining zones and will connect the Port of Dapilon with the Santou mine zone. Stretching for a total length of roughly 135km, the entirety of the railway will feature 23 bridges, two tunnels and six depots. The Dapilon-Santou Railway is a crucial support for the SMB-Winning Consortium's mineral extraction and recovery operation in the Santou mining zone, as well as a vital infrastructure facility that will serve other mining companies and business operators along its route.
During its early and near-future phases, the railway will be primarily tasked with the transportation of mineral rocks from the mining zone to the Consortium Boké Harbor No. 2 (Dapilon Harbor). Further down the road, there are hopes to open its services to third-parties, and to integrate the railway into the Guinean national railway transport network to better serve the country's socio-economic development.
The Dapilon-Santou Railway under construction is designed exclusively for the mining zones and will connect the Port of Dapilon with the Santou mine zone over its total length of roughly 135km.
Based on the shared values of a "community of destiny" and emphasizing the principles of the "Belt and Road Initiative", the Consortium intends to participate in Guinea's industrialization and ensure its leading position in global value chains. Thanks to the efforts of the SMB-Winning Consortium, Guinea has become one of the world's largest bauxite exporting countries and the construction of this railway will strengthen Guinea's competitiveness in the global bauxite market.
In total, the SMB-Winning Consortium will spend $3 billion in the coming years to develop the 135 km railway line and an alumina refinery in the Boké Special Economic Zone. This investment is in addition to the $1 billion already invested for the construction of the port terminals of Dapilon and Katougouma.
About the SMB-Winning Consortium
Founded in 2014, the SMB-Winning consortium brings together four global partners in the extraction, production and transport of bauxite: Singapore's Winning Shipping Ltd, a leading Asian shipping company; the Yantai Port Group; UMS, a transport and logistics company with more than 20 years' experience in Guinea; and Shandong Weiqiao, a leading Chinese aluminum producer. The Republic of Guinea is a 10% shareholder.
Since its inception, SMB-Winning has invested more than US$1 billion in its extractive activities in the Boké region. The consortium, which directly employs more than 9,000 people, has also built and manages two river ports.
For more information, visit smb-guinee.com
Contact
35°Nord – Press relations Agency
Nicolas Teisserenc
nt@35nord.com
+33 6 18 09 66 90
