Brazilian mining company Vale has announced manganese production and sales results for the fourth quarter and for the full year of 2019.
According to the official statement, in the fourth quarter of 2019 Vale produced 450,000 mt of manganese ore, up 1.7 percent quarter on quarter but down 9.2 percent year on year. In the full year, Vale’s manganese ore output decreased by 13.9 percent year on year to 1.576 million mt, while its sales during the given period totaled 1.063 million mt, down 32.4 percent year on year. The annual negative changes were caused by operational improvements and maintenance conducted at the Urucum mine in the second quarter and unusual weather-related conditions in the first half of 2019, which affected more seriously operations at Ponta da Madeira port. Operations were ramped up in the second half of 2019, with fourth quarter sales rising by 28.9 percent year on year basis.
In the fourth quarter, Vale’s manganese ferroalloys production decreased by 35.7 percent year on year and in the full year totaled 151,000 mt, down 10.1 percent year on year. This is a result of temporary lower domestic demand following a prolonged shutdown and maintenance period, SteelOrbis understands.