South African iron ore miner Palabora Mining Company Limited will begin exporting iron ore through road transportation after a train accident which happened last week cut its rail link with its main export ports.
The state-owned logistics company Transnet said that all major train traffic to and from Palabora will be re-routed via road and then connected by rail to different destinations.
As SteelOrbis previously reported, Palabora, partially owned by giant Australian miner Rio Tinto, announced that on 20 September a fully loaded train derailed and destroyed a bridge on the branch rail line between Phalaborwa and Hoedspruit, in the Limpopo province of South Africa.
Pointing out that the rail line is the link between the Palabora mining operations and the ports of Richards Bay and Maputo, the company announced that the railway incident will principally impact the shipment of Palabora's magnetite to the ports, which will consequently have an impact on sales revenue.