Rio Tinto dispatches eight-billionth tonne of Pilbara iron ore

Rio Tinto has dispatched its eight-billionth tonne of robust ore from the Pilbara portion of Australia, with the shipment heading to its spouse Nippon Steel Corporation.

This milestone marks 60 years since the company's archetypal shipment from Western Australia (WA) to Japan.

The shipment departed from Cape Lambert larboard aboard the Juno Horizon connected 19 May 2026.

Rio Tinto’s archetypal robust ore cargo from the Pilbara near successful August 1966 for Japan, opening a commercialized narration that remains successful place.

By mode of scale, a full of 8 cardinal tonnes of robust ore could proviso capable alloy to physique much than 161,000 Optus Stadiums successful Perth, 134,000 Tokyo Skytree towers, oregon much than 46,000 Beijing National Stadiums.

Rio Tinto's Pilbara activities person contributed to the maturation of six determination towns, namely Dampier, Karratha, Pannawonica, Paraburdoo, Tom Price and Wickham.

They besides enactment 5 further communities from the Kimberley portion to the Great Southern portion done fly-in fly-out arrangements.

The institution is besides progressing appraisal enactment astatine Rhodes Ridge (in which it holds 50%), an undeveloped robust ore deposit regarded arsenic 1 of the largest globally.

Over time, Rio Tinto indicates that the task could underpin a large mining centre susceptible of producing astir 100 cardinal tonnes per annum (mtpa) of higher-grade ore.

The task besides helps support its Pilbara concern connected way for a medium-term output scope of astir 345–360mtpa.

Rio Tinto robust ore main enforcement Matthew Holcz said: “Shipping 8 cardinal tonnes of robust ore from the Pilbara is simply a important milestone and a testament to the generations of radical who person built and sustained our operations, infrastructure and communities implicit the past 60 years.

“We convey successive governments for their sustained support. We are besides grateful to the Traditional Owners groups crossed the Pilbara for their ongoing partnership, and for the knowledge, guidance and stewardship they proceed to stock with us.

“Japan was Rio Tinto’s archetypal lawsuit for robust ore exports, and that concern remains a cornerstone of our concern today. As planetary alloy request increases, we volition proceed to put successful our Pilbara operations and section communities for decades to come.”

In March this year, Rio Tinto announced plans to statesman operations astatine the Resolution Copper excavation successful Arizona, US, by the mid-2030s.

"Rio Tinto dispatches eight-billionth tonne of Pilbara robust ore" was primitively created and published by Mining Technology, a GlobalData owned brand.

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