Iron Ore Drives Huge Port Projects

摘要

Rio Tinto is to invest a further $3.1 Bn expanding its Pilbara iron ore infrastructure, including port and rail projects at Cape Lambert that will initially see a new two-berth wharf, new stockyard, car dumper, two stackers and reclaimers, rail marshalling yards and six new heavy-haul trains And more is to come: "Major contracts have been awarded and the procurement of long-lead items commenced for what will ultimately be an additional 1.8km jetty and four-berth wharf at Cape Lambert," Rio Tinto's Australia iron ore CEO Sam Walsh said. "The wharf and jetty will support a two-stage increase in capacity of approximately 50M tonnes per year each, and are designed to enable further potential growth beyond 333M t/a." The move follows Rio Tinto's decision to invest $230M in the Port of Dampier, northwest Australia, to cope with an increase in the region's iron ore output to 230M t/a. The cash will boost shiploading capacity, together with rail stock handling volumes, at Dampier's Parker Point facility - "our single largest and busiest port operation," according to Sam Walsh - by 1Q/2012. Earlier, Rio Tinto announced that