Australia-based Rio Tinto, the world's second biggest iron ore producer, has announced that in the first quarter of the current year iron ore production from its Pilbara operations in Western Australia increased by eight percent year on year to 83.1 million mt. In the given quarter, the company's iron ore shipments from its Pilbara operations amounted to 80.3 million mt, up five percent year on year.
Rio Tinto stated that iron ore production at its Pilbara operations benefitted from fewer weather disruptions than the first quarter of the previous year, along with the ramp-up of the Silvergrass mine. Sales were 2.8 million mt below production due to disruptions at the ports resulting from Tropical Cyclone Marcus in March. The company expects its Pilbara iron ore shipments in the current year to be between 330 million mt and 340 million mt, subject to market conditions and any weather constraints.
Meanwhile, Rio Tinto's Australian hard coking coal production in the first quarter declined by 30 percent to 1.1 million mt compared to the corresponding quarter of the previous year.