IRON MINES AND MINING – BRAZIL

BHP pays $110m to settle dam class action

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian – Page: 15 : 10-Sep-25

BHP has reached an out-of-court settlement over a class action that was launched on behalf of Australian investors who bought its shares in the three years or so before the collapse of an iron ore tailings dam in Brazil on 5 November 2015. BHP’s shares fell by 22 per cent in the wake of the disaster; amongst other things, BHP was accused of failing to disclose material information to the market and engaging in misleading or deceptive conduct by claiming that safety was its highest priority. BHP agreed to pay $110m shortly before the case was scheduled to be heard by the Federal Court. However, US-based litigation funder G&E KTMC Funding is expected to be entitled to a significant share of the payout.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, G&E KTMC FUNDING

$70bn class action case against BHP opens in London

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Original article by Hans van Leeuwen
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 19 : 23-Oct-24

Britain’s High Court has commenced hearing a massive class action lawsuit against BHP over the Samarco iron ore tailings dam collapse in 2015. Law firm Pogust Goodhead is representing about 62,000 Brazilians in the class action. BHP and Vale jointly owned Samarco, which operated the Germano iron ore mine; a key issue that will be addressed during the first days of the hearing is whether Samarco was an independent and autonomous company, or whether BHP was effectively in control of the iron ore project and is therefore responsible for the tragedy that resulted in 19 deaths and an environmental disaster.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, VALE SA, SAMARCO MINERACAO SA, POGUST GOODHEAD, HIGH COURT OF ENGLAND AND WALES

Push for BHP boss to give evidence in Brazil dam disaster

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Original article by Simon Johanson
The Age – Page: Online : 17-May-23

The class action against BHP over the Samarco tailings dam collapse in 2015 is slated to be heard by the UK’s High Court in October 2024. The class action is being led by British law firm Pogust Goodhead; global managing partner Tom Goodhead says the firm wants senior BHP executives to give evidence if the case proceeds to trial, potentially including current CEO Mike Henry. He adds that the firm wants BHP to "do the right thing" and attempt to reach a settlement in the case, more than seven years after the disaster that claimed 19 lives and caused an environmental catastrophe.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, POGUST GOODHEAD, HIGH COURT OF ENGLAND AND WALES, SAMARCO MINERACAO SA

London judges backtrack to revive $9.43-billion Brazil dam lawsuit against mining giant BHP

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Original article by
abc.net.au – Page: Online : 28-Jul-21

BHP faces renewed legal action over the collapse of the Samarco iron ore tailings dam in Brazil in 2015, after London’s Court of Appeal ruled that a $9.4bn lawsuit can proceed. A lower court had struck it out the lawsuit by 200,000 claimants in 2020, ruling that the UK legal action was an abuse of process. The Court of Appeal had upheld this ruling in March. BHP has contended that the case should not proceed in the UK as the tailings dam disaster is also subject to legal action in Brazil.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, COURT OF APPEAL (GREAT BRITAIN), SAMARCO MINERACAO SA

Vale setback a boon for Australian iron ore producers

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 23 : 20-Mar-20

Vale’s iron ore distribution hub in Malaysia will be disrupted by the government’s efforts to contain the coronavirus. Vale expects work at the hub to be suspended until the end of March, which could reduce its iron ore shipments for the first quarter by an additional one per cent. The Brazilian miner had previously advised that its export volumes would be seven per cent lower than previously. The pandemic has affected mining operations worldwide, although it has yet to have any impact on Australia’s iron ore sector.

CORPORATES
VALE SA

Vale confirms drop in iron ore exports

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 16 : 13-Feb-20

Brazilian iron ore miner Vale now expects output of 63-68 million tonnes in the March quarter, compared with previous guidance of 68-73 million tonnes. The production downgrade has been attributed to factors such as heavy rains, while Vale says its revised forecast does not take into account any impact of the coronavirus. Vale’s problems may bolster demand for Australian iron ore; the sector’s exports volumes are forecast to reach a record $84bn in 2019-20, despite the recent disruption caused by Tropical Cyclone Damien.

CORPORATES
VALE SA, BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, ROY HILL HOLDINGS PTY LTD

Brazil struggles may prolong iron ore boom

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 21 : 24-Jan-20

Brazilian miner Vale will release a market update on 11 February, but several sources have suggested that its iron ore exports so far in January are significantly lower than previously. Vale had flagged lower shipments in the first quarter of 2020, although it has advised that export volumes would rise later in the year. Nevertheless, lower exports from Brazil could see the price of iron ore remain high in the near-term, which would boost the earnings of Australian producers and federal government revenue.

CORPORATES
VALE SA, BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG

BHP seeks delay in Brazil class action case

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Original article by Liz Main
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 21 : 27-Nov-19

BHP has asked the Federal Court to postpone a shareholder class action until criminal charges against past and present executives are resolved. Brazilian prosecutors charged eight BHP executives with a range of offences – including intentional homicide – in the wake of the Samarco iron ore tailings dam disaster in 2015. Shareholders subsequently launched a class action against BHP to recover the loss in value of their shares following the disaster. The outcome of the criminal charges is unlikely to be known for at least two years.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, SAMARCO MINERACAO SA, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, VALE SA

Slow restart at Samarco will be small beer for Australian miners

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 19 : 29-Oct-19

Lachlan Shaw of National Australia Bank says the resumption of production at the Samarco joint venture in Brazil is unlikely to have much impact on Australia’s iron ore exporters. BHP and Vale has been granted environmental approval to resume production in late 2020. Shaw notes that based on the initial production rate that has been flagged, it would take about 10 years for production at Samarco to return to the levels prior to the tailings dam disaster in November 2015.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, VALE SA, SAMARCO MINERACAO SA, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO

BHP, Vale to resume at Samarco

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 20 : 28-Oct-19

BHP and Vale are hopeful of resuming production at their Samarco joint venture’s Germano iron ore mine in Brazil by late 2020. This follows the granting of a Corrective Operating Licence for the mine by Minas Gerais state’s environmental regulator. The mine has been closed since a tailings dam collapse in November 2015. BHP has indicated that restarting Germano is dependent on Samarco receiving funding for a new filtration plant at the mine.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, VALE SA, SAMARCO MINERACAO SA