PERTH (miningweekly.com) – ASX-listed Mineral Resources on Monday told shareholders that a train derailment over the weekend is not expected to have a material impact on iron-ore production at the Koolyanobbing project, in Western Australia, or on the company’s shipment schedule.
Mineral Resources over the weekend reported that 30 empty iron-ore wagons derailed during a journey from Esperance to Koolyanobbing, after delivering ore to the port facilities.
The company said that it was working with the owner and operator of the railway track, Arc Infrastructure, to assess the damage to the track, and to determine how long repairs would take.
Initial reports suggested that heavy rainfall and flash flooding in the region washed some ballast from under a small section of the track, with Arc expecting repairs to be completed this week.
“Most importantly, no one was injured,” Mineral Resources MD Chris Ellison said on Monday.
“Mineral Resources continually reviews its operating procedures to ensure we maintain a safe work place and achieve our safety objectives. Initial investigations into this derailment suggest our safe train operating procedures were followed at all times, and that the derailment was caused by a section of the train track being washed out caused by Saturday’s heavy rainfall and flash flooding.
“We are working with Arc Infrastructure to determine the timeframe for track repairs. As soon as we have confirmation that the track is repaired we will resume haulage of ore,” Ellison added.