Mombasa: Base Titanium has marked a milestone with its final bulk shipment of titanium ore (Rutile) from Mombasa to the United States, concluding an 11-year journey in the mineral sands industry in Kenya. The company concluded its mining processes in December 2024 after minerals were depleted in Kwale Mining sites.
According to Kenya News Agency, Base Titanium began production in late 2013 and has since become a cornerstone of Kenya’s mining industry, accounting for approximately 65 percent of the country’s mineral output value. It is renowned for its high-grade ore rich in Rutile, Ilmenite, and Zircon, which are essential for industrial applications, including the production of titanium metal and ceramics.
Over the 11 years of operations, Base Titanium exported a total of 5,208,000 tons of minerals, comprising 3,892,000 tons of Ilmenite, 804,000 tons of Rutile, 295,000 tons of Zircon, 93,000 tons of low-grade Zircon, and 124,000 tons of low-grade Rutile. This extensive output was transported using 186,000 trucks, reflecting the scale and efficiency of the operation.
Speaking at the port facility, the General Manager of Operations, Denham Vickers, highlighted that they sent out their first ship on February 12, 2014, and their last on February 12, 2025, noting that Base Titanium’s calling operations have come to an end. ‘The reason it’s ended is because we don’t have anything left to mine, we finished mining by the 31st of December, on the 4th of January we finished the processing and we have been shipping whatever has been left over ever since,’ Vickers said.
MV Devbulk Sinem, the 171st ship and the last bulk vessel to call Base Titanium, was transporting 4,200 metric tons of Rutile to the U.S. ‘I am incredibly proud of the port facility and the team who operated this facility seamlessly and without any incidents and accidents, it’s been a fantastic effort. It’s totally Kenyan, run by Kenyans, with no experts involved,’ Vickers said. He added that this is the most rewarding, exciting, and satisfying operation he has ever been on. It is the first time he started an operation, ran it, and then closed it in his whole career.
Vickers highlighted that Base Titanium currently holds five prospecting licenses, with three located near Lamu, one of them recently approved, while two remain pending. ‘We also have several licenses around the other side of Ramisi River, where we are looking into drilling. However, he cautioned that for every 1,000 Greenfield sites – areas that have never been explored – only one is statistically likely to develop into a successful mining operation. ‘Having a prospecting license does not guarantee the establishment of a mine; so it’s not a done deal,’ Vickers emphasized.
Elizabeth Kyalo, who serves as the Port and Shipping Manager at Base Titanium, highlighted the ways they transport their minerals and stated that the minerals extracted by Base Titanium arrived at the port facility in bulk, which were then shipped via vessels. Additionally, some shipments are transported in containers through the Port of Mombasa. She reiterated that there are still container shipments ongoing, which are expected to be completed by the end of March. ‘A small number of shipments remain and they have already been packaged in bags, awaiting transport to the port for delivery to our customers by their schedules,’ Kyalo noted. ‘Approximately 80 percent of our minerals are shipped in bulk, so this is a significant day for us as it marks our final shipment,’ she stated.