The group's news
The life of our companies, the industry's innovations and the history of the Mai family, told month after month.
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Small miners, an essential link in New Caledonian nickel
Alongside the big names in metallurgy, New Caledonia is home to independent miners who extract and export ore. Groupe MAI is one of the historic figures among these 'small miners': starting out in haulage in the 1960s, it became a direct operator of its own mining titles, and is today authorised to export its ore until 2035.
Read article →1956-2026: seventy years of a family and mining history
In 1956, Jules Mai arrived from Tahiti in New Caledonia to join the Kouaoua mining centre. Seventy years later, the grandchildren of Jules and Émilienne Mai work in the family group's companies. A look back at seven decades of a mining adventure unique in the territory.
Read article →C'Nickel: nickel explained simply to every New Caledonian
On 24 February, the Syndicat des industries de la mine (SIM), New Caledonia's mining industry union, launched C'Nickel, an educational campaign designed to explain the nickel industry simply to New Caledonians. A member of the SIM through its mining company MKM, and long committed to passing on its craft, Groupe MAI is a natural partner in this initiative.
Read article →The Afros, first wind-powered ore carrier chartered in New Caledonia
In early November 2025, the ore carrier Afros loaded nickel ore in N'Go Bay, in Mont-Dore. Chartered by MKM, this hybrid vessel combines conventional fuel-oil propulsion with four turbosails that harness the power of the wind. It is the first charter of a wind-powered ore carrier by a New Caledonian operator.
Read article →MKM lighterage: more than twelve years of independence, from wharf to ore carrier
Since January 2013, MKM has itself handled the transport of its ore, from the wharf to the ore carrier. Two tugboats named Le Jules and L'Émilienne, five barges and one barge make up a fleet representing an investment of around 1 billion CFP francs. A look back at an independence that has become one of the group's signatures.
Read article →Ada, Graziella, Mireille: mines named after the family
Ada, Graziella, Mireille: in Mont-Dore, Groupe MAI's mines bear the first names of three of Jules and Émilienne Mai's daughters, while the tugboats Le Jules and L'Émilienne pay tribute to the founders. This way of writing the family into the very names of the sites is unique in the New Caledonian mining landscape. A look back at a tradition that says everything about the group's spirit.
Read article →Wakondé: local employment at the heart of the mine
At Mont-Dore, the loading of the N'Go Bay ore carriers rests on a singular company: Wakondé, created in association with MKM and whose shareholders come for the most part from the tribes of Saint-Louis and Île Ouen. With each vessel loaded, ten to fifteen casual jobs benefit local people directly. A model of local roots that has also fostered the growth of several haulage companies.
Read article →Saint-Louis: destocking to rehabilitate the shoreline
Between 2009 and 2011, Groupe MAI removed and reprocessed the old ore stockpiles that cluttered the Saint-Louis shoreline, at Mont-Dore. Carried out in partnership with the public authorities and the customary authorities, the operation illustrates one of the group's convictions: ore that has already been extracted, even at low grade, deserves to be recovered, and the area it occupied deserves to be redeveloped.
Read article →SMP, the leading employer in the commune of Houaïlou
Present on the Poro mining centre since the year 2000, the Société Minière de Poro (SMP) is today the leading employer in the commune of Houaïlou. With just over 66 permanent employees, supported by subcontractors and casual workers, and a fleet of more than 80 machines, this Groupe MAI company combines local roots with industrial rigour. A look back at a trusting partnership renewed with the SLN for more than 22 years.
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