A consortium of South African manganese miners plans to bid to build and operate a new export terminal at Port of Ngqura in Eastern Cape, African Rainbow Minerals (ARM) said on Friday.

ARM, whose unit Assmang is a member of the Manganese Producers Consortium (MPC), said private companies were keen to partner with state-owned Transnet on the project, which is expected to add 16 million metric tons of manganese export capacity and improve logistics.

"The MPC intends to bid for the request for quotation with Transnet as a joint-venture partner for the design, build, construction and operator of the new manganese ore export port at Ngqura, namely the Ngqura Manganese Ore Export Terminal," ARM said in a results statement.

Transnet has said it will invite bids for the Ngqura manganese export terminal around April. The freight rail and port operator is opening parts of its network to private firms to help restore capacity that has slumped in recent years, throttling mineral exports.

South Africa, which holds about 70 percent of global manganese resources, exported a record 26.2 million tons in 2025, according to the Minerals Council South Africa.

ARM said manganese earnings fell 76 percent due to lower ore prices, although overall profit rose 10 percent to $100.81 million in the six months to December 31, helped by stronger platinum group metal prices.