Brazil-based mining giant Vale has announced its production results for the second quarter of 2012, posting a record iron ore output for a second quarter.
In the second quarter, Vale produced almost 80.5 million mt of iron ore, increasing 0.4 percent compared to the corresponding quarter of the previous year. Iron ore output from the Carajás site reached 27.4 million mt in the given quarter, up 5.2 percent year on year, marking the best performance for a second quarter. The miner's pellet production increased by 8.5 percent year on year to 14.2 million mt, mainly driven by the ramp-up of the Oman pelletizing plant.
In the first six months, Vale's iron ore output amounted to 150.5 million mt, down 0.8 percent compared to the corresponding period of the previous year. In the given period, the pellet output of the company increased by five percent year on year to 27 million mt.
In the second quarter, Vale's metallurgical coal output increased to 1.27 million mt from 518,000 mt in the same quarter of 2011, while it amounted to 2.14 million mt in the first six months, compared to 1 million mt in January-June of 2011. The company announced an 8.4 percent increase in its nickel output in the second quarter and a 7.9 percent increase in the first half, both year on year.