The situation Members will be aware that Sierra Leone is one of the countries presently affected by the outbreak of the Ebola virus, but it is also a country that saw (until the outbreak became very serious) a significant development in its mining industry and particularly the export of iron ore. This cargo being of significant interest to China as it continues to seek to diversify its resource sourcing. The Association would like to highlight the following issues that may be of concern to members considering lifting such a cargo: liquefaction risks the present Ebola outbreak Mining and shipment operations in Sierra Leone In the following illustration members can see how some of the mining and shipment is organised in Sierra Leone for iron ore: Illustration of London Mining Operation provided by the Club's correspondents Correspondents advise that the cargo offered for shipment comes from locations several hours inland and may be transported by the Port of Pepel by rail or to the River Port of Thofeyim by truck. Typically the cargo is then loaded on to barges for further transhipment on to blue water bulkers at the Freetown anchorage. Our correspondents advise that some of the locations involved are remote and may not always be easily accessed. Furthermore some shippers have not been co-operating with requests to inspect cargo stockpiles prior to the start of the transportation operation. This has made it difficult to verify the nature and condition of the cargo. With respect to local knowledge and expertise, that may not be on the same level as one may find in more developed places (say Australia) and communication barriers may exist. This can cause delays when inspections and surveys are undertaken. It may also impact the quality of any cargo documentation tendered. In practice the vessel only gets to see the actual cargo when barges come along side for loading and it is at this point that a somewhat belated quality control exercise becomes possible. There are no