Axiom Mining has received further significant results from a resource definition drilling program on Isabel Nickel Project in the Solomon Islands with thick mineralization defined.

Axiom Mining will re-apply for a prospecting licence covering the Isabel Nickel Project in the Solomon Islands after the nation’s Court of Appeal ruled that the land where the deposit is located remains customary land.

CANADIAN explorer Nautilus Minerals has signed a contract with Gardline CGG Pte Ltd to provide exploration services for its 2015 program in the Solomon Islands. The vessel MV Duke will be used to generate targets to expand Nautilus’ Seafloor Massive Sulphide (SMS) prospect inventory within its Solomon Islands exploration licences.

Axiom Mining can resume exploration of the large Isabel Nickel Project after last week winning a Solomon Islands High Court case over Japan’s Sumitomo. The court dismissed Sumitomo’s claims, finding ‘the proceedings have been shown to be an abuse of the court’s process’.

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Gordon Darcy Lilo has announced that the Solomon Islands Government and St Barbara Ltd are negotiating for the possible transfer of ownership of St Barbara’s troubled Gold Ridge mine to the government.

Drilling by Axiom Mining has intersected high grade nickel laterite at the Isabel project with grades and widths exceeding evaluations by previous explorers INCO and Kaiser Engineers. The drilling is designed to confirm historical data and test potential for further mineralization below depths of 5 metres to 6 metres.

Drilling by Axiom Mining at the Isabel Nickel Project has confirmed that higher grade saprolite zones exist at greater depths. Drilling is ongoing to confirm historical data before moving on to resource definition drilling.
Isabel is one of the largest nickel laterite deposits in the Pacific with historic non-JORC resources estimated at 159 million tonnes @ 1.045% nickel and 0.07% cobalt.

Indonesia’s export ban has seen the nickel price surge by about 30% in just three months with China’s nickel pig iron and ferro-nickel smelters desperate to find new sources of direct shipped nickel ore (DSO). This is of great significance to Axiom Mining, which is engaged in a long running court battle with Japanese giant Sumitomo Metal Mining over ownership of potentially one of the world’s major nickel laterite deposits in the Solomon Islands.

Axiom Mining has completed an orientation drilling program at the Havihua Ridge prospect of its Isabel Nickel Project in the Solomon Islands, encountering further good grade nickel intersections. A maiden JORC-compliant resource is expected in the second half of 2015.

Axiom Mining is in discussions with third parties regarding potential involvement in the Isabel Nickel Project. Discussions are being carried out with debt and equity financiers and project level joint venture partners regarding funding and equity partnership at both the asset and group level.

AXIOM Mining has raised $2 million through a private placement and will use these funds as general working capital including preparations to develop the Isabel Nickel Project, subject to a favourable outcome in the High Court later this month, as well as for drilling on the West Guadalcanal project.

A David and Goliath struggle to develop a nickel mine in the Solomon Islands has the Australian junior involved in the battle confident it can overturn last week’s legal fling by giant Japanese trading house Sumitomo to win the drawn out saga.

Axiom Mining has entered into a strategic partnership with Anitua Limited for the Isabel Nickel Project. Anitua is providing Aus$5 million in loan funding to advance development of the project.

Axiom Mining subsidiary Axiom KB Ltd is seeking more than Aus$6 million in costs in relation to the Solomon Islands High Court case between SMM Solomon Ltd, a subsidiary of Sumitomo Metal Mining, and others v Axiom, Solomon Islands Government and others.

Axiom Mining has received further encouraging results from drilling at the Isabel Nickel Project that indicate the continuity of high grade mineralization along the spine of Havihua Ridge for approximately 700 metres. The infill drill holes will provide information for the calculation and evaluation of a maiden JORC resource.

Axiom Mining has received highly encouraging follow‐up trench results from the Taho exploration target, which lies within the Hoilava epithermal corridor at its West Guadalcanal project. The results show very broad zones of gold mineralization and some intervals of higher grade.

Axiom Mining has received highly encouraging trench results from the Taho exploration prospect which lies within the Hoilava epithermal corridor of the West Guadalcanal Gold Project. Initial systematic trenching at Taho is now complete and results support the existence of a continuous mineralized zone along a 1.4km strike length.

The Board of SolGold has approved a US$150,000 exploration program at the Kuma Copper-Gold Project to take place during the September quarter. This follows an internal technical review and completion of a model for the prospecting licence.

Axiom Mining has raised $1.1 million by way of a private placement with most of the funds to be used to ramp-up exploration efforts on the West Guadalcanal Gold Project. Funds will also be allocated to complete the trial that is nearing completion over the Isabel Nickel Project and ensure that Axiom is able to resume exploration and drilling on Santa Isabel Island immediately in the event that the company is successful in the proceedings.

St Barbara Ltd subsidiary Gold Ridge Mining Limited (GRML) and the Solomon Islands Government have agreed for GRML personnel to return to the Solomon Islands following the lifting of a government immigration ban, to enable a site assessment and a range of agreed site works to be undertaken.