Brazil-based miner Vale has announced its operational results for the third quarter of the current year, reporting iron ore production of 85.7 million mt, rising 3.1 percent year on year, achieving the highest output for a single quarter in the company's history. In the given period, Vale's pellet production amounted to 11.44 million mt, up 17.6 percent compared to the same quarter of 2013, reflecting the ramp-ups of the Tubarão VIII and Oman pellet plants.
During the first nine months, Vale produced 236.2 million mt of iron ore, up 8.1 percent, while it pellet output increased by 9.6 percent to 31.32 million mt, both compared to the same quarter of the previous year.
In the third quarter, Vale's nickel production increased by 16.4 percent year on year to 72,100 mt, marking the best performance for a third quarter since the third quarter of 2008 despite planned maintenance at Thompson mine in the given quarter. In the January-September period, the company's nickel output amounted to 201,400 mt, up 4.7 percent year on year.