Rio Tinto on Wednesday shipped its eight billionth tonne of Pilbara iron ore, a quantity sufficient to produce the steel required for constructing approximately 161,000 Optus Stadiums.
The milestone shipment departed from Cape Lambert port aboard the Juno Horizon, bound for Japan's Nippon Steel. Rio Tinto's first iron ore shipment from the Pilbara took place in August 1966, with Japan as its inaugural customer.
"Shipping eight 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 60 years," said Matthew Holcz, Rio Tinto's iron ore chief executive.
"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."
The majority of Rio Tinto's Pilbara iron ore is shipped to steel mills in China. Beijing is actively working to enhance the purchasing power of Chinese steel mills, with the long-term objective of reducing iron ore prices.
