Australian
iron ore company
BC Iron Limited (
BC Iron) has announced that its 50 percent-owned Nullagine
iron ore joint venture with Australian miner
Fortescue Metals Group (
Fortescue), located in Pilbara, Western
Australia, expects to export about 2.5 million mt of
iron ore by the end of 2011, with about 800,000 mt to be shipped by June 30.
Accordingly, the Nullagine
iron ore JV's second shipment of about 20,000 mt of ore departed from Port Hedland on March 29, 2011. Increased tonnages are scheduled for shipment during April and May approaching full capesize vessel shipments of about 180,000 mt per shipment from June onwards.
As SteelOrbis previously reported, the first
iron ore shipment from the Nullagine
iron ore JV left for China from Port Hedland in late February.
"Despite several disruptions to ore haulage by truck to the railhead at
Fortescue's Christmas Creek operation due to heavy rains throughout January to March, haulage via the public Marble Bar-Newman road recommenced in March and is progressing well," reads
BC Iron's statement.
In addition,
BC Iron and
Fortescue have announced that on April 18 they are hosting an official mine opening ceremony at the Nullagine
iron ore project.