Sumitomo Corp announced that it is gradually resuming production at its Ambatovy nickel and cobalt project in Madagascar following last month’s pipeline disruption. The Japanese trading house is also reassessing future production targets amid ongoing operational challenges at the project, which began in 2005.

CEO Shingo Ueno stated that stabilizing production is the top priority, and further steps, including possibly selling a stake to another operator, are under consideration. The Ambatovy project produced around 10,000 metric tons of nickel from April to September, about half the output of the previous year.