THE three bauxite shipments from Bua have brought back more than $8million within a span of four months following the first shipment in June.
The fourth ship, currently being loaded at the qoliqoli of Navakasiga, will leave Fiji tomorrow and a fifth ship is already anchored in the same area.
Mine manager Basilio Vanuaca said the operations at the mine have been a success with loading and exporting of bauxite happening on time.
"So far all has been good and the workers are being well looked after too," he said.
"Each ship of bauxite going back to China carries 70,000 tonnes and we're working day and night to fill the ship as we have two ships at the moment."
The bauxite mine is projected to rake in about $25m per year from the expected 12 shipments of bauxite bound for China.
The monthly shipment of 70,000 tonnes is worth about $2.8 million. Mr Vanuaca said between 50,000 and 70,000 tonnes of bauxite have been stockpiled in the jetty area for loading this week.
He said the mine would export a monthly shipment over the next two years from Nawailevu with a total of two million tonnes of bauxite to be mined. He said about $34 million had been spent to set up operations in Bua and this covered social obligations, education, church and employment. The company has already spent $16,000 to renovate and repair the Methodist Church at Nawailevu Village this year.
The government has already made known the discovery of bauxite in the districts of Nasarawaqa and Wainunu in Bua.