MMG shuts Australia zinc pipe, mining to continue

SYDNEY Oct 5 (Reuters) - Chinese-owned miner Minerals and Metals Group (MMG) has shut down a pipeline that transports zinc concentrate from its Australian Century mine to a port following a spill, it said on Monday.

"We are currently working to determine the amount of zinc slurry, made up of zinc concentrates and water, that was discharged during the incident," the firm said in a statement.

Operations at a processing plant will be shut down during the clean up and repair period, but mining operations will continue, MMG said.

The Century mine is the world's second largest zinc mine but is scheduled to run dry around 2014.

The company, owned by China's Minmetals, bought the Century operation from Australia's OZ Minerals (OZL.AX) earlier this year. (Reporting by Jonathan Standing; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)