Strike action in New Caledonia has hit the SLN nickel smelter in Noumea, with the company saying that it has no more than about three weeks of ore supply left.
SLN has had supply problems for weeks because the supply of ore has been disrupted as ships are unable to offload their cargo.
The company says the ongoing dispute with the unions has led to a loss in production and forced the company to reduce the output at the smelter.
It says the reserves will last no more than 23 days once the furnaces are turned down to a basic level.
