In its fourth quarter operations review, the world's second biggest iron ore producer Australia-based Rio Tinto posted a 1.5 percent increase in its global iron ore production compared to the previous quarter. Its iron ore production in the last quarter of 2011was 65 million mt, while its global iron ore production for the whole year was 245 million mt, with a year-on-year increase of 2.5 percent.
Rio Tinto's operations in the Pilbara region of Western Australia produced 62 million mt of iron ore in the fourth quarter, with the production level from the Pilbara region for the full year at 231 million mt.
Fourth quarter iron ore production of Rio Tinto subsidiary Iron Ore Company of Canada was eight percent lower compared to the same quarter of 2010 and 16 percent lower compared to the previous quarter.
Rio Tinto stated that, in the given period, its Australian hard coking coal production improved by 16 percent compared to the same quarter of the previous year, maintaining the strong recovery observed in the previous quarter.