More Iron Ore continued from page 5
IRON ORE
A Reuters India .article .viewed .outcomes .from . a .different .angle . .It .noted .that .the .merger .could . open .rail .networks .to .smaller .miners, .opening . access . to . millions . more . tons . of . iron . ore . into . the .world’s .supply . Rio .and .BHP .have .been .fighting .such .access, . saying .they .lack .spare .capacity . . To .in .win .support .for .the .JV, .they .may .have .to .appear .competition-friendly, .the .Reuters .article .said . “With .access .to .a .rail .line, .these .guys .have .viable .mines,” .James .Wilson .a .JD .Carmichael .& . Co . .analyst .said . . Rail .access .would .justify .developing .the .junior’s .own .stagnant .deposits .spread .over .half .a . million .square .kilometers .of .Australia’s .Pilbara . iron .ore .district . .Many .are .drilled .and .ready .to . go .and .could .yield .50 .million .metric .tons .(Mt) . a . year . by . 2013 . .“The . Pilbara . is . incredibly . endowed .with .iron .ore, .so .much .of .it .not .yet .exploited, .said .Graeme .Rowley, .executive .director . of .Fortescue .Metals, .Australia’s .No . . 3 .iron .ore . miner . “By .unlocking .the .rails .to .everyone, .the .balance .of .world .supply .would .move .much .more . in .favor .of .Australia,” .Rowley .said . “If . Rio . and . BHP . really . want . to . show . regulators .they .are .serious .about .competition .and . not . pursuing . a . monopoly, . the . best . way . to . do . this . is . by . providing . rail . access . to . the . junior . miners,” .Carmichael’s .Wilson .said .
Cyclone Puts Western Australian Iron Miners on Alert Bloomberg reported .Dec . .21 .that .tropical .cyclone . Laurence, . which . caused . evacuations . of . oil .and .gas .rigs, .was .moving .into .Western .Australia’s .iron .ore-rich .Pilbara .area, .causing .BHP . Billiton .Ltd . .to .suspend .iron .ore .shipments . BHP . halted . iron . ore . shipments . after . Port . Hedland .was .closed .on .Dec . . 21, .spokeswoman . Samantha .Evans .said . . “We . expect . there . may . be . some . production . interruptions . at . some . operations . because . of . heavy .rainfall,” .Evans .said .in .a .statement . .“Otherwise .we .are .mainly .just .keeping .a .watch .on . the .cyclone’s .path .” Cyclone . Laurence . is . the . first . of . the . season . in .Northwestern .Australia, .which .accounts .for . 73% . of . the . nation’s . natural . gas . exports . and . 62% . of . its . mining . production . . The . area . may . experience .as .many .as .six .cyclones .this .season, . which . runs . from . November . until . April, . ac-
cording .to .an .October .forecast .by .the .Bureau . of .Meteorology . A .red .alert .is .in .place .for .some .areas .of .Western . Australia, . the . state’s . Fire . and . Emergency . Services .Authority .said .in .a .statement . . Rio . Tinto, . Dampier . Port’s . main . customer, . said .the .cyclone .is .unlikely .to .affect .the .company’s .iron-ore .production .and .shipments . .Rio . was .“keeping .a .close .eye” .on .the .cyclone’s .path, . which . was . expected . to . pass . well . to . the . east . of . the . company’s . mines . in . the . region, . Perthbased .spokesman .Gervase .Greene .said . Laurence .last .week .affected .the .sparsely .populated . Kimberley . coastal . region’s . energy . and . mining . projects . . Mt . . Gibson . Iron . Ltd . . evacuated .220 .employees .from .its .Koolan .Island .facility . .HWE .Mining .Pty .Ltd . .evacuated .workers . off .Cockatoo .Island, .where .it .mines .iron .ore .in . partnership .with .Cleveland- .based .Cliffs .Natural .Resources .Inc .
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JANUARY 2010
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SKILLINGS MINING REVIEW
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