Australian mining company Fortescue is preparing to ship its first shipment of iron ore from its Belinga mine in Gabon, ahead of Simandou project, one of the largest iron ore projects in West Africa. The company is reported to be planning to ship the first ore from the 2 million tons/year Belinga mine next week.
Managing Director of Fortescue, Dino Otranto, explained that the first ore will be loaded onto a train in June and the shipment will leave the port of Libreville next week. Speaking to investors at its annual general meeting in Perth, Otranto said mine development was also on a positive trajectory, with a major exploration drilling campaign underway.
Fortescue intends to develop a larger mine at Belinga to rival the up to 150 million tons/year Simandou iron ore project in Guinea, as demand for high-quality ore from Africa supports the production of lower-carbon steel.
Located around 150 km from the existing Trans-Gabon railroad, which can transport ore to Libreville, Belinga has fewer infrastructure issues for an initial production of 2 million tons/year, the company notes.
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