Tuesday 26 June 2012

Rio Tinto starts coal shipments from Mozambique


By: Idéle Esterhuizen
25th June 2012
JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – The first shipment of coking coal from Rio Tinto’s Benga mine, in Mozambique’s Moatize basin, left the Port of Beira on Monday.

The 34 000 t shipment is bound for an Indian steel mill.

“Today’s shipment marks an important point in the phased development of our tier-one coking coal resources in Mozambique. It is the first step towards our aim to become a significant supplier of hard coking coal to the seaborne market,” Rio Tinto Energy CE Doug Ritchie said.

The Benga mine, a joint venture between Rio Tinto (65%) and Tata Steel (35%), is located in one of the world’s most prospective coking coal regions, he added.

“We are continuing to work with the government of Mozambique to secure the development of comprehensive infrastructure for efficient transport of coal from mine to port, which is a priority for the further development of the region,” Ritchie said.

Edited by: Mariaan Webb

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