Global miner Rio Tinto is celebrating this week following the shipment of 8 billion tonnes of iron ore to global markets from the Pilbara region, 60 years after the company’s first shipment set sail from Western Australia for Japan.
The milestone shipment departed from Cape Lambert port aboard the Juno Horizon on 19 May, bound for one of the miner’s longstanding partners, Nippon Steel.
The achievement reflects six decades of continuous operations in the Pilbara, underscored by strong partnerships with customers across the world, particularly in Asia. Rio Tinto’s first Pilbara iron ore shipment departed in August 1966 for Japan, marking the beginning of a remarkable partnership that continues today.
Rio Tinto Iron Ore Chief Executive Matthew Holcz said shipping 8 billion tonnes of iron ore from the Pilbara is a significant milestone and a testament to the generations of people who have built and sustained our operations, infrastructure and communities over the past six decades.
“We thank successive governments for their sustained support. We are also grateful to the Traditional Owners groups across the Pilbara for their ongoing partnership, and for the knowledge, guidance and stewardship they continue to share with us.
“Japan was Rio Tinto’s first customer for iron ore exports, and that partnership remains a cornerstone of our business today. As global steel demand increases, we’ll continue to invest in our Pilbara operations and local communities for decades to come.”
Rio Tinto’s Pilbara operations have supported the development of six towns across the region, including Karratha, Wickham, Tom Price, Paraburdoo, Pannawonica and Dampier, as well as a further five communities from the Kimberley to the Great Southern through its regional fly-in fly-out program.
The company is also advancing studies at Rhodes Ridge (Rio Tinto owns 50%), one of the world’s best undeveloped iron ore deposits, which in the long term could support a world-class mining hub with potential capacity of about 100 million tonnes of high-quality iron ore a year. Rhodes Ridge will maintain Rio Tinto’s pathway to achieve and sustain mid-term capacity of 345 to 360Mtpa from its Pilbara iron ore business.
The total 8 billion tonnes includes all iron ore from the Robe River joint venture.
Source: Rio Tinto