PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Diversified miner Rio Tinto on Monday warned that iron-ore production in 2019 was likely to be some 14-million tonnes below previous estimates.
The miner noted that while its iron-ore projects in Western Australia were progressively resuming operation following Tropical Cyclone Veronica, initial inspections have uncovered some damage to the Cape Lambert A port facility.
This has resulted in Rio declaring a force majeure on certain contracts, with the miner telling shareholders that it was working with customers to minimise any disruptions in supply.
In addition to the damage caused by Tropical Cyclone Veronica, Rio in January this year also battled a fire at Cape Lambert A.
The miner said on Monday that on the back of the disruptions at this operation, iron-ore shipments from its Pilbara operations were expected to be at the lower end of the 338-million-tonne to 350-million-tonne guidance for the 2019 full year.