The Brazilian iron ore and pellets producer Samarco has posted a net loss of $544.3 million for the third quarter of 2026, compared with a net loss of $1.045 billion for the same period in 2025.
According to the company, the third quarter of 2026 reinforced the operational consistency and resilience demonstrated throughout the year, with production reaching its highest quarterly volume since operations resumed.
Net sales revenue rose 2 percent to $450.3 million, and production costs fell 11 percent to $240 million, while gross profit declined 6 percent to $210.3 million.
Financial expenses, driven chiefly by $461.1 million in indemnification payments related to the 2015 collapse of the Fundão dam, pushed the company to an operating loss of $246.3 million, compared with an operating profit of $168.2 million in the third quarter of 2025.
By volume, pellet production rose 27 percent to 3.7 million metric tons (mt) and pellet sales climbed 20 percent to 3.2 million mt. The average realized pellet price rose 6 percent to $117.7/mt.
Samarco is pressing ahead with its Phase 3 project, which aims to restore full production capacity of 30 million mt per year.
