LONDON, Feb. 16, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Crew Gold Corporation ("Crew" or the "Company") (TSX:CRU) (Oslo:CRU) (Frankfurt:KNC) (Other OTC:CRUGF) advises that due to a national strike and curfew in Guinea and subsequent restrictions of movement of goods and people, the company has decided to temporarily suspended the production at its LEFA mine and use this opportunity to bring forward maintenance programmes identified during the commissioning of the plant. Due to an initial higher-than-anticipated throughput in the start of ramp-up, a limited suspension of production is not expected to materially impact the 2007 forecast production of 300,000 to 320,000 ounces.
The situation is calm and operation enjoys the support of the local communities and site management maintains an ongoing dialogue and cooperates at a local level with all stakeholders. The Company is providing some humanitarian relief for residents in the surrounding villages during the national strike by distributing supplies through the local mosques in the townships of Lero, Sigurini, Carrefour and Armina.
Expatriate personnel continue to remain on the site and the Company anticipates an early resumption of operational activities after deliveries of fuel have been restored.
Jan A Vestrum
President and CEO
Safe Harbour Statement
This news release contains forward-looking statements which reflect the expectations of management and the board of directors, and are made pursuant to applicable and relevant national legislation (including the Safe-Harbour provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) in countries where Crew Gold Corporation is conducting business and/or investor relations. Forward-looking statements typically contain words such as "believes," "anticipates," "continue," "could," "expects," "indicates," "plans," "will," "may," "projects," "would" or similar expressions suggesting future outcomes or events, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Such forward-looking statements reflect the current beliefs of management and the board of directors based on information currently available to them. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, and Crew cautions readers not to place undue reliance on these statements as a number of important factors could cause Crew's actual results to differ materially from the beliefs and expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements, include, but are not limited to, the factors discussed under the heading "Risks and Uncertainties" in Crew's Annual Information Form dated October 10, 2006, as filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management and the board of directors believes to be current and reasonable assumptions, Crew cannot assure readers that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this news release and are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Crew undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise these forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances. Cautionary Note to U.S. Investors -- The United States Securities and Exchange Commission permits U.S. mining companies, in their filings with the SEC, to disclose only those mineral deposits that a company can economically and legally extract or produce. We use certain terms on this website (or press release), such as "measured," "indicated," and "inferred" "resources," which the SEC guidelines strictly prohibit U.S. registered companies from including in their filings with the SEC. U.S. Investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure from the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml.