Australian Mineral Resources’ Apr-Jun iron ore shipments fall 24% on year

6th Aug 2018

Australian miner Mineral Resources said Tuesday its shipments of iron ore fell 24% year on year to 2.22 million wet mt in the April-June quarter following the cessation of mining at a Yilgarn project.

The total was also down 4% from the quarter before, the company said in its quarterly results.

Iron ore shipped from Mineral Resources’ Western Australian operations during the quarter came from its Iron Valley project in the Pilbara region on tenements held by BCI Minerals and from its Carina and Jackson 4 projects in the Yilgarn region.

Mineral Resources announced in April it had ceased mining at the Carina project, with exports expected to end by June 30. There was 618,000 wmt shipped from Carina and Jackson 4 in the June quarter, down 34% year on year and down 19% from the January-March quarter.

“Assets from Carina are being relocated to Koolyanobbing to prepare for commencement of production. Final iron ore product is expected to contain a split of 43% lump/57% fines,” the company said Tuesday.

Output from Koolyanobbing will be transported by Mineral Resources’ owned locomotives and wagons to Esperance port and loaded onto Capesize carriers for delivery to clients in China, the company said. First shipments are scheduled for the current quarter, with Mineral Resources’ rolling stock allowing a delivery rate of 6 million-6.26 million mt/year to Esperance port.

Mineral Resources on June 3 announced it had reached an agreement to acquire the assets associated with the Koolyanobbing operation from Cleveland-Cliffs’ wholly owned subsidiary Cliffs Asia Pacific Iron Ore.

On July 19, Mineral Resources said it expected to complete the acquisition on July 27, but there has not been a follow-up announcement since, and the company was unavailable for immediate comment Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the Iron Valley project shipped 1.60 million wmt in the June quarter, down 19% year on year and up 4% from January-March, Mineral Resources said. Iron Valley crushing operations performed above nameplate capacity to produce 1.8 million wmt in the quarter, the company said.

“Fines product continues to be held in stockpile to preserve value of the resources from the prevailing high discounts. This stockpile is blended with higher grade product and shipped as market conditions allow,” the company said. “The low grade iron ore business remains marginal, with growing impurities making it challenging,” it added.

Source: S&P GLOBAL PLATTS