BUSINESS

Simandou Iron Ore Mine Ships First Cargo to China

Published: Dec. 3, 2025 1:57 p.m. GMT+8

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The first shipment of iron ore from the Simandou mine in Guinea, West Africa, sets sail on Dec. 2. Photo: Chinalco

A bulk carrier loaded with iron ore from Guinea’s Simandou mine has departed for China, marking the commercial debut of the world’s largest untapped reserve of the steelmaking ingredient after decades of development challenges.

The vessel, carrying 200,000 tons of high-grade ore, left the Morebaya Port on Guinea’s west coast at 5:30 p.m. local time on Tuesday, according to state-owned Aluminum Corp. of China Ltd. (Chinalco), a key stakeholder in the project. The shipment signals the opening of a new strategic supply corridor for China, which has long sought to reduce its reliance on Australian and Brazilian imports.

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Guinea’s Simandou mine shipped its first 200,000-ton batch of high-grade iron ore to China, marking the start of commercial operations after decades of delays.
With an estimated 4.4 billion tons of reserves and planned annual capacity of 120 million tons, Simandou could make Guinea the third-largest iron ore supplier globally.
Full ramp-up to target output is expected to take about 30 months, with full capacity likely by mid-2028.

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Who’s Who

Aluminum Corp. of China Ltd.: Aluminum Corp. of China Ltd. (Chinalco) is a state-owned company and a key stakeholder in Guinea's Simandou mining project. They announced the departure of a bulk carrier with iron ore for China, signaling the project's commercial debut. Chinalco is involved in the joint venture developing the southern block of the Simandou complex.

Vale SA: Vale SA's Carajás complex in Brazil is mentioned as the only iron ore source that rivals the quality of Simandou's "caviar" grade iron ore. Simandou possesses an average iron content of over 65%, a quality that is highly prized in the market.

Rio Tinto: Rio Tinto discovered the Simandou mine in 1997, which holds an estimated 4.4 billion tons of iron ore reserves. Rio Tinto is developing the southern block of the Simandou complex in a joint venture with Chinalco. Rio Tinto's CEO, Simon Trott, stated that the project will have about three months of trial operations and a 30-month ramp-up period, likely reaching full capacity by mid-2028.

Winning International Group: Winning International Group (WIG) is a key backer of the Winning Consortium Simandou, which controls the northern block of the Simandou iron ore complex. A vessel operated by WIG carried the first iron ore shipment from Simandou, signaling WIG's involvement in the commercial operations of this significant project.

China Hongqiao Group Ltd.: China Hongqiao Group Ltd. is mentioned as a backer of the Winning Consortium Simandou, which, along with China Baowu Steel Group Corp., controls the northern block of the Simandou iron ore complex. This indicates their involvement in a significant global iron ore project.

Weiqiao Aluminum: Weiqiao Aluminum (魏桥铝电有限公司) is part of the China Hongqiao Group Ltd. and is a backer of the Winning Consortium Simandou. This consortium controls the northern block of the Simandou mine project in Guinea.

China Baowu Steel Group Corp.: China Baowu Steel Group Corp. is the world's largest steelmaker and a participant in the Simandou iron ore project. It is part of the Winning Consortium Simandou, which controls the northern block of the Simandou complex.

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What Happened When

1997：: Simandou mine was discovered by Rio Tinto.

November 11, 2025：: First iron ore was transferred at anchor from smaller vessels to a large ore carrier operated by Winning International Group.

December 2, 2025, 5:30 p.m. local time：: A bulk carrier loaded with 200,000 tons of iron ore departed Morebaya Port, Guinea for China, marking the commercial debut of Simandou mine.

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