Australia-based Rio Tinto, the world's second biggest iron ore producer, has announced that in the third quarter of the current year iron ore production from its Pilbara operations in Western Australia increased by two percent year on year to 85 million mt. In the given quarter, the company's iron ore shipments from its Pilbara operations amounted to 85.8 million mt, rising by six percent from the same quarter of the previous year, assisted by improved rail capacity and performance.
In the first nine months of the current year, the company’s iron ore production from Pilbara operations totaled 241.9 million mt, declining by one percent from the same period of the previous year, mainly due to weather disruptions in the first half of the year. In the January-September period, Rio Tinto’s iron ore shipments from its Pilbara operations remained stable year on year at 240.2 million mt.
Meanwhile, Rio Tinto's Australian hard coking coal production in the third quarter rose by three percent to 2.24 million mt, as operations normalized at Hail Creek following the impact of Cyclone Debbie earlier in the year, while its hard coking coal production in the first nine months of this year amounted to 5.38 million mt, decreasing by 10 percent, both compared to the corresponding period of the previous year.
Rio Tinto’s Pilbara iron ore shipment guidance for the current year, subject to weather conditions, remains unchanged at around 330 million mt.