The inspection and quarantine bureau in the city of Zhanjiang in China's Guangdong Province has indicated that iron ore imports arriving via Zhanjiang port totaled 42.6824 million metric tons in 2017, increasing by 28 percent year on year, exceeding 40 million metric tons annually for the first time ever against the backdrop of the construction of the Baosteel Zhanjiang iron and steel base.
In 2017, imports of iron ore arriving in Zhanjiang came from 14 countries, mainly from Australia, Brazil, South Africa, Ukraine, Chile, Peru, Iran and Mauritania. Australia and Brazil together accounted for 83 percent of the total volume.
In 2015, the iron ore throughput via Zhanjiang was 23.06 million metric tons, ranking ninth in China. Since 2016, imports of iron ore at Zhanjiang port have continued to increase substantially, mainly due to the Baoshan iron and steel base in Zhanjiang,