The environment at the heart of Caledonian mining
From water management on the waste-rock dumps to the first wind-powered ore carrier chartered in New Caledonia, protecting the environment is part of our teams' daily work, on the mine and at sea.
The Afros, an ore carrier leading the way
In November 2025, MKM chartered the Afros, a hybrid ore carrier that combines a fuel-oil engine with four rotor sails. It is the first wind-powered ore carrier chartered in New Caledonia.
The vessel was loaded in N'Go Bay, at Mont-Dore. For the occasion, the President of the Government of New Caledonia and the mayor of Mont-Dore came to visit on board.
This choice reflects a simple conviction: the sea transport of ore is part of our business as operator and exporter, and it too must move forward.
Read more: the Afros, a wind-powered ore carrier.
Making the most of low-grade ore
The group has built up expertise in making the most of low-grade ore and historic stockpiles. A resource-economy model: putting already-extracted material to use before extracting more.
Between 2009 and 2011, MKM thus removed and reprocessed the old ore stocks that had built up along the Saint-Louis shoreline. Beyond putting the material to use, the operation was "an opportunity […] to redevelop the area", in the words of the group's environmental manager in 2011.
These stock-clearing operations, carried out in partnership with the public authorities and customary authorities, help clean up areas marked by former workings, in particular orphan mines.
Everyday actions on the mine
On a mine, protecting the environment is not a separate department: it is built into production tasks. At the Poro site, operated by SMP, the teams carry out day to day:
- the construction of waste-rock dumps to best practice: drains, profiling, compaction, seed-coating of the slopes and water management;
- the controlled placement of waste rock in dumps;
- the upkeep and dredging of environmental protection structures;
- the upkeep of roads and platforms.
These practices accompany every stage of operations, from extraction to the loading of the ore carriers.
ISO 14001, practices to certified standards
SLN, on whose behalf SMP has operated the Poro mining site since 2000, is certified to ISO 14001, the international standard for environmental management; SMP works under this coverage and upholds its standards. This certification attests that environmental practices are organised and monitored over the long term.
It is complemented by ISO 45001 certification, dedicated to occupational health and safety. On a mine, these two requirements go hand in hand: the same care, applied to the natural environment and to people.
C'Nickel, transparency for the industry
Transparency is part of the approach. MKM is a member of the Syndicat des industries de la mine (SIM), which Wilfrid Mai chaired from 2013 to 2024. In February 2026, the SIM launched C'Nickel, an educational campaign whose ambition can be summed up in one sentence: "Nickel explained simply".
The cnickel.nc platform offers video clips, downloadable fact sheets and quizzes around thirteen topics. Among the first clips online: the uses of nickel, administrative authorisations, extraction and processing.
So many keys to understanding, in concrete terms, how the New Caledonian nickel industry works, and therefore how our teams work.
The C'Nickel video capsules
Short educational videos (about two minutes each), produced by the industry, to understand New Caledonian nickel simply — from extraction to processing.
