en.Wedoany.com Reported - Camalco Cameroon, the Cameroonian subsidiary of Australian mining company Canyon Resources, received the first batch of 7 diesel locomotives manufactured by CRRC Ziyang Locomotive Co., Ltd. (referred to as "CRRC Ziyang") in June 2026. The locomotives have arrived at the Port of Douala in Cameroon and are currently undergoing commissioning, performance testing, and driver training. The project plans to initiate the first railway transport of bauxite in the third quarter of 2026.
Canyon Resources is a mining company headquartered in Perth, Australia, developing its flagship asset—the Minim Martap bauxite project—located in the Adamawa Region of Cameroon. The deposit has resources exceeding 1.1 billion tons, with an alumina content of approximately 51% and a silica content of about 2%, making it one of the highest-grade bauxite resources globally. Camalco Cameroon is Canyon Resources' local subsidiary in Cameroon, responsible for the development and operation of the project.
The 7 locomotives delivered are the first batch under a contract signed between CRRC Ziyang and Canyon Resources for the purchase of 22 locomotives. The first batch of 60 ore-carrying open wagons, supporting the locomotives, has been shipped and is expected to arrive in Cameroon by mid-August 2026; an additional 100 open wagons are planned to arrive by the end of the third quarter. The first phase of the project's railway transport fleet will consist of 7 locomotives and 160 wagons, with an estimated transport capacity of approximately 35,000 wet metric tons of bauxite per month. Camalco has previously signed a contract with India's Texmaco Rail & Engineering Company for the purchase of 560 open wagons, with an option to purchase an additional 1,040 wagons over the next five years.
Ore will first be transported by road from the mining area to inland railway facilities, then shipped via approximately 800 kilometers of railway to the Port of Douala for export. The Bélabo–Ngaoundéré railway section, about 330 kilometers long, is currently undergoing modernization with a total investment of approximately €243 million, partially funded by a €107 million loan from the European Investment Bank and a €17 million grant from the European Union. According to plans, the second phase of the project will involve the additional purchase of 15 locomotives and 400 wagons. If approximately $160 million in new financing is secured, transport capacity could increase to about 105,000 wet metric tons per month by the third quarter of 2027. Canyon Resources has previously increased its stake in Camrail, Cameroon's national railway operator, from 9.1% to 26.9%, to enhance its involvement in ore transport and railway infrastructure upgrades.
As Cameroon's first operational bauxite project, the launch of Minim Martap will strengthen the country's position in the global bauxite market. The delivery of the first 7 CRRC Ziyang locomotives marks the transition of the project's railway logistics system from the construction phase to the operational preparation phase.
