Western Australia starts land acquisition for new iron ore port in Pilbara

The government of Western Australia, the biggest iron ore exporting state of Australia, has started land acquisition for a new deepwater port in the iron ore-rich region of Pilbara, according to media reports.
 
The proposed Anketell port will be capable of shipping 350 million mt of the steelmaking raw material annually. The port to be located near Cape Lambert will be developed in two stages as a multi-user port, including an industrial area for mineral processing and other heavy industry.
 
Meanwhile, Australia-based miner Aquila Resources said that it supports the port construction since it is a preferred location for its West Pilbara Iron Ore Project.
 
Australia, the world's biggest exporter of iron ore, is adding ports as Australia's Bureau of Resources and Energy Economics forecasts global iron ore purchases will increase 40 percent to 1.5 billion mt by 2017.