Maputo, Mozambique  - Irish-based mining company Kenmare Resources said Thursday that the Moma heavy sands project in Mozambique has begun exporting amonite, with sales to Japan and the US reaching some 3 million dollars in the first half of the year.

Some of the largest deposits of titanium-bearing heavy-mineral sands in the world have been discovered in Mozambique and Moma will be the country's first ilmenite mine.

Kenmare Resources will be ranked as one of the top five titanium producers in the world once the Moma project in Mozambique comes on stream.

The moma mine field has the capacity to produce about 800,000 tonnes of amonite per year. The company expects to increase output to one million tonnes by 2009.

The mine is located on the Indian Ocean coast, where heavy sands contain world-class deposits of titanium minerals. It is planned to produce 800,000 tonnes of ilmenite,
60,000 tonnes of zircon and 17,000 tonnes of rutile each year for at least 20 years.

Titanium minerals are mainly used for pigments in products such as paints and plastics. (dpa)