Lucara Diamond Corp. appointed Moolman Mining Botswana Pty. Ltd., also known as Aveng Moolmans, as the new mining contractor at its Karowe diamond mine in Botswana.

The company's prior contractor, eXtract Group subsidiary Eqstra Botswana, is seeking damages after Lucara terminated its five-year contract valued at 500 million South African rand per annum.

According to Lucara's Jan. 24 statement, Aveng Moolmans was contracted for a six-year period with equipment mobilization to start this month and mining activities to begin in early March.

In December 2016, the company reported exceeding US$1 billion in accumulated sales at Karowe since production started in June 2012.