HARBORS – WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Barnett: secret Chevron deal never meant to cover iron ore

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian – Page: 13 & 16 : 15-Apr-25

US energy giant Chevron could potentially gain up to $1bn from an infrastructure levy via a confidential deal with the Western Australian government. Mineral Resources is challenging a decision to impose the levy for exporting iron ore via the Chevron-built Port of Ashburton and a shipping channel that was dredged as part of its Wheatstone LNG project. Chevron subsequently transferred ownership of the port and shipping channel to the government, but retained the right to receive a levy for their use. Former WA premier Colin Barnett says Chevron is entitled to such revenue, but he contends that the figures being mooted are excessive because nobody had expected iron ore to be shipped from Ashburton.

CORPORATES
MINERAL RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX MIN, CHEVRON CORPORATION

Iron ore miners win port export boost

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 22 : 2-Feb-22

Some 523 million tonnes of iron ore were shipped through Port Hedland in 2020-21. The Western Australian government has approved a development plan that could see the port’s iron ore export capacity increase to around 660 million tonnes a year. The government has advised that BHP, Fortescue Metals Group and Roy Hill are each likely to receive a 25 per cent increase in their port allocations. In addition, Hancock Prospecting and Mineral Resources have won the right to build a new berth at Port Hedland.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, ROY HILL HOLDINGS PTY LTD, HANCOCK PROSPECTING PTY LTD, MINERAL RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX MIN

Iron ore miners dig in for fight over capacity at Port Hedland

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 18 : 23-Nov-20

Iron ore producers Mineral Resources, BHP, Fortescue Metals Group and Hancock Prospecting have been asked to contribute to an independent review to determine the maximum capacity of Port Hedland. The Western Australian government wants the review to be completed by December, and it comes after the mining companies rejected the government’s call for a $10 billion outer harbour to be constructed at Port Hedland. Growth plans outlined by the four companies amount to output of at least 690 million tonnes per annum, while the government believes that Port Hedland’s maximum capacity could be pushed to around 650 million tonnes.

CORPORATES
MINERAL RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX MIN, BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, HANCOCK PROSPECTING PTY LTD

Price rises lift Port Hedland iron ore exports

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Original article by Nick Evans
The Australian – Page: Online : 9-Jun-20

Data from the Pilbara Ports Authority shows that iron ore shipments via Port Hedland rose by four per cent year-on-year in May, to 47.8 million tonnes. Australian iron ore producers benefited from a rally in the price of the steel input during May, amid a downturn in stockpiles at Chinese ports as steel mills resumed production. They will also benefit from a court-ordered closure of Vale’s Itabira mining hub due to a coronavirus outbreak. Vale has maintained its revised full-year production guidance of 310-330 million tonnes.

CORPORATES
PILBARA PORTS AUTHORITY, BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, ROY HILL HOLDINGS PTY LTD, ATLAS IRON LIMITED, MINERAL RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX MIN, VALE SA

Sinosteel cautions Oakajee doubters

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Original article by Peter Ker, Brad Thompson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 18 : 22-Oct-19

Western Australia’s Premier Mark McGowan says he would welcome any move to proceed with the stalled Oakajee port and rail project, after Sinosteel’s recent deal to acquire Mitsubishi’s interest in it. However, Ports Minister Alannah MacTiernan ha expressed doubts regarding the $10bn project’s viability. Stuart Griffiths, the CEO of Sinosteel Midwest, says people should keep "an open mind" on the issue, adding that good quality iron ore will always be in demand.

CORPORATES
SINOSTEEL CORPORATION, SINOSTEEL MIDWEST CORPORATION LIMITED, MITSUBISHI CORPORATION, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG

China launches $10b push for Oakajee iron ore

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 & 22 : 21-Oct-19

Sinosteel has acquired Mitsubishi’s interests in the long-stalled $9.7 billion Oakajee port and rail project in Western Australia. Sinosteel’s $2 billion Weld Range iron ore project was to be a customer of the Oakejee project, but cost blowouts saw proposed port tariffs increased, leading Sinosteel to conclude that Weld Range would not be viable, and it stopped work on Weld Range in June 2011. Sinosteel’s acquisition of Mitsubishi’s stake in the Oakajee project has sparked hopes that it could be revived, and that a new iron ore export province in WA can be created.

CORPORATES
SINOSTEEL CORPORATION, MITSUBISHI CORPORATION, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG

Fortescue could benefit from Rio’s port blaze

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Original article by Paul Garvey
The Australian – Page: 19 : 15-Jan-19

Lower-grade iron ore is currently trading at a discount of about 27 per cent to the benchmark price, compared with 45 per cent a year ago. Peter O’Connor of Shaw & Partners says the discount may narrow further in the wake of a fire at the port of Cape Lambert in Western Australia. Rio Tinto ships about 30 million tonnes of lower-grade iron ore via Cape Lambert, and while it still assessing the damage, it has declared force majeure over shipments from the port. Fortescue Metals Group ships some 170 million tonnes of lower-grade iron ore each year.

CORPORATES
RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, SHAW AND PARTNERS LIMITED

Crucial port project given no value

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Original article by Darren Gray
The Age – Page: 23 : 29-Jun-18

Access to two shipping berths to be built at Port Hedland under the long-mooted North West Infrastructure project is considered to be at the heart of the takeover battle for Atlas Iron. Fortescue Metals Group and Hancock Prospecting are vying for control of Atlas, which has been a member of NWI for some years, although the berth project is yet to come to fruition. Atlas noted in an ASX release on 28 June that the Western Australian government’s public policy is that the berths flagged under the NWI project should be set aside for junior miners. Neither Fortescue or Hancock could be considered as falling into this category.

CORPORATES
ATLAS IRON LIMITED – ASX AGO, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, HANCOCK PROSPECTING PTY LTD, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET

WA wades into Atlas takeover fray

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Original article by Paul Garvey
The Australian – Page: 17 & 20 : 14-Jun-18

Atlas Iron’s port capacity at the Utah Point berth at Port Hedland and its stake in North West Infrastructure’s proposed South West Creek berth is a key driver of the bidding war for the iron ore junior. A successful bid by Mineral Resources would allow it to increase the volume of lower-grade ore that is shipped through Utah Point, which may have prompted Fortescue Metals Group and Hancock Prospecting to take blocking stakes in Atlas. Meanwhile, the Western Australian government says Utah Point is designed for smaller miners, and it would be concerned if such key export infrastructure were to be controlled by a large company.

CORPORATES
ATLAS IRON LIMITED – ASX AGO, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, HANCOCK PROSPECTING PTY LTD, MINERAL RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX MIN, NORTH WEST INFRASTRUCTURE, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF MINES, INDUSTRY REGULATION AND SAFETY, CLEVELAND-CLIFFS INCORPORATED

Union readies for new tug of war with BHP

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 20-Feb-18

Iron ore shipments from Port Hedland could potentially be disrupted due to the Australian Institute of Marine & Power Engineers’ proposed legal action against BHP Billiton. Rivtow, which provides tugboat services to BHP at Port Hedland, operates on a partnership model. However, the company is believed to have begun employing marine engineers on some of its tugboats, which the AIMPE claims would give it access under workplace right of entry laws.

CORPORATES
BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, THE AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF MARINE AND POWER ENGINEERS, RIVTOW MARINE PTY LTD, RIVERSIDE MARINE PTY LTD, TEEKAY MARINE PTY LTD, WESTERN AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS COMMISSION, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, KOTUG, LIBERAL PARTY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, MITSUBISHI CORPORATION