South African iron ore miner Palabora Mining Company Limited has 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.
Palabora is in contact with state-owned logistics company Transnet which owned the train and is assessing the extent of the impact on its business and will be reviewing alternative options. Transnet has indicated, based on a preliminary assessment, that the bridge is likely to be out of service for at least five weeks.