Rio Tinto resumes Western Australia iron ore railings

UK-Australian firm Rio Tinto has resumed operations on a rail line that connects its 43mn t/yr Gudai Darri mine to port in the Pilbara region of Western Australia (WA), after 20 wagons derailed on 3 September.

The 10-day disruption to railings will make it more difficult for Rio Tinto to meet its guidance of 320mn-335mn t for this year, with the firm already running at least 10mn t behind its annual target, according to initial shipping data collated by Argus.

Rio Tinto shipped 151mn t in January-June, leaving it with a target of 169mn-184mn t for July-December. But the firm shipped below average for the three weeks to 3 September, with the derailment likely to see this trend continuing.

The derailment occurred at the back of an autonomous train and no-one was hurt, according to Rio Tinto. The firm is investigating the incident and has notified the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator.

By Jo Clarke