China bans mega iron ore vessels from Vale while new VLOC docks in Brazil

Wednesday, 01 February 2012 01:14:09 (GMT+2)

China's Ministry of Transport announced on Tuesday that it will be banning giant dry bulk vessels and oil tankers, effective immediately. China and Brazilian iron ore mining giant, Vale, have been in talks in recent weeks after one of Vale's large vessels unloaded 388,000 tons of iron ore at the Port of Dalian in China. Although China did not specifically announce Vale in the new regulation, it is speculated that this is a response.

SteelOrbis reported on January 26 that Vale had introduced a new vessel, the Ore Fabrica, which is in the process of being converted to a transshipment vessel that will be based in the Philippines. The goal was to bypass the Chinese ban by transferring iron ore from the Ore Fabrica and onto smaller ships that would be allowed to enter the Chinese ports.

This news comes on a day when Vale has announced that the Port of Tubarão in Vitória, Brazil will be receiving the vessel Vale Rio de Janeiro--a Very Large Ore Carrier (VLOC)--which is capable of carrying up to 400,000 tons of iron ore. Vale reported that they have been studying maneuvers by 400,000-metric-ton ships at Tubarão since 2008, with technical support from the Espírito Santo Port Authority. A simulator was used to study ship behavior during maneuvers. In this way, it was possible to learn about and analyze shipping conditions, ensuring that all operations will be safe.  The next stop for the Vale Rio de Janeiro is the Port of Sohar in Oman.

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