Miner Anglo American plc says that it has delivered the first ore on ship from its Minas-Rio iron ore project in Brazil, Kallanish learns.

The first cargo of more than 80,000 tonnes of iron ore for the pellet feed market has been loaded onto a chartered vessel at the dedicated export terminal at the port of Açu in Rio de Janeiro state. The vessel is currently en route to customers in China, Anglo American says

Minas-Rio is a fully integrated iron ore operation in Brazil, consisting of an open cut mine and beneficiation plant in the state of Minas Gerais. The project also runs a 529km pipeline for iron ore slurry from the mine to Açu export terminal.

The operation is designed to produce 26.5 million tonnes/year (wet basis) of iron ore pellet feed for the steel industry. Minas-Rio currently has reserves of an estimated 686 million wet tonnes of saleable product at 67.5% Fe content, with a mine life of 28 years, Anglo American confirms.