Ponta da Madeira loads first ships including cargo produced in S11D mine

Last Friday (01/13), Ponta da Madeira Maritime Terminal in São Luís (MA) loaded its first commercial cargo produced in the S11D mine, in Canaã dos Carajás, southeast of Pará, Brazil. A total of some 26,500 t were loaded, divided into three ships with capacity between 73,000 and 380,000 t. Ships had their capacity completed with Carajás IOCJ ore, from other mines from the North System. Carajás IOCJ, with 65% of iron content, already represents 40% of Vale’s sales. Until 2020, Carajás IOCJ will exceed 50% of the company’s production.

With 380,000 t capacity, Berge Neblina pictured here was one of the three vessels that received ore from S11D mine

Beside new operating mines in Carajás and investments already performed in Minas Gerais, S11D will allow Vale to increase its competitiveness in the international market in the coming years, the company expects.

The high quality of the ore extracted from the new mine will give flexibility to the company to blend it, in ports in Malaysia, China and Oman, with those produced in the so-called South and Southeast systems, in Minas Gerais, improving the pricing of the final product, as well as extending the life of the mines in that State.