IRON ORE – WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Rio looks to next iron ore play

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 : 6-Jul-18

A Rio Tinto spokesman has indicated that the resources giant expects to complete a pre-feasibility study on its Western Range iron ore deposit in Western Australia by mid-2019. Chris Salisbury, Rio Tinto’s head of iron ore, also recently described Western Range as an "important" project for the future of its Paraburdoo operations. Rio Tinto’s board is expected to approve development of the $US2.2bn ($2.98bn) Koodaideri project by the end of 2018, with initial production of 40 million tonnes a year.

CORPORATES
RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, DEUTSCHE BANK AG

Rinehart plans to share Pilbara riches

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 5-Jul-18

Mining magnate Gina Rinehart has launched a profit-sharing scheme for employees of her Roy Hill iron ore project. The share of profits to be distributed to Roy Hill workers will be linked to the company’s iron ore export volumes, with the first payment to be made in December. Roy Hill is seeking government approval to lift the mine’s capacity from 55 million tonnes to 60 million tonnes. Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting, which has a 70 per cent stake in Roy Hill, has also formally opened its $A390m takeover bid for Atlas Iron.

CORPORATES
ROY HILL HOLDINGS PTY LTD, HANCOCK PROSPECTING PTY LTD, ATLAS IRON LIMITED – ASX AGO, REDSTONE CORPORATION PTY LTD, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET, MARUBENI CORPORATION, POSCO

Forrest rebuff over Rinehart bid

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 3-Jul-18

The Takeovers Panel has declined to conduct proceedings in relation to Gina Rinehart’s $A390 million offmarket bid for Atlas Iron. NCZ Investments, a unit of Andrew Forrest’s Fortescue Metals, sought to restrain Rinehart’s bid, which is being conducted through Hancock Prospecting subsidiary Redstone, in the week ending 29 June.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. TAKEOVERS PANEL, ATLAS IRON LIMITED – ASX AGO, NCZ INVESTMENTS, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, REDSTONE CORPORATION PTY LTD

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

Fortescue bid for Atlas rests on port rights

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Original article by Michael Roddan
The Australian – Page: 20 : 28-Jun-18

The status of Atlas Iron’s right to develop new berths at Port Hedland is likely to determine whether Fortescue Metals Group makes a takeover bid. The pure-play iron ore miner has asked Atlas to clarify its priority rights to develop the South West Creek berths. The Western Australian Government recently gave indications that Atlas no longer holds these rights, and that junior miners should have priority access to the berths. This would exclude both Fortescue and Hancock Prospecting from using the berths.

CORPORATES
ATLAS IRON LIMITED – ASX AGO, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, HANCOCK PROSPECTING PTY LTD, MINERAL RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX MIN, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF TRANSPORT

Atlas board backs Rinehart’s $390m bid

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 22 : 22-Jun-18

Mineral Resources will be entitled to a break fee of $A3.12m after Atlas Iron’s board recommended that shareholder accept the rival bid from Gina Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting. Atlas had previously endorsed Mineral Resources’ scrip offer of $A0.036 per share, which was trumped by Hancock’s cash bid of $A0.042 per share. Fortescue Metals Group could also make a counter-bid for Atlas in the wake of its recent move to acquire a 19.9 per cent stake in the iron ore producer.

CORPORATES
ATLAS IRON LIMITED – ASX AGO, HANCOCK PROSPECTING PTY LTD, MINERAL RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX MIN, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, REDSTONE CORPORATION PTY LTD, CLEVELAND-CLIFFS INCORPORATED

MinRes yields to Rinehart in Atlas race

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 26 : 21-Jun-18

Atlas Iron directors are expected to recommend that shareholders accept a $A390m takeover bid from Gina Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting, after Mineral Resources advised that it will not match the offer. However, Fortescue Metals Group could leverage its 19.9 per cent stake in Atlas to block the deal; Peter O’Connor of Shaw & Partners suggests that if Fortescue does so it could then potentially seek an agreement with Hancock to split Atlas’s assets. O’Connor adds that Fortescue could also make a counter-bid for Atlas.

CORPORATES
ATLAS IRON LIMITED – ASX AGO, HANCOCK PROSPECTING PTY LTD, MINERAL RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX MIN, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, REDSTONE CORPORATION, SHAW AND PARTNERS LIMITED

MinRes losing battle for Atlas

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Original article by Paul Garvey
The Australian – Page: 21 : 20-Jun-18

Atlas Iron has given Mineral Resources three days to match the rival bid from Gina Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting. Mineral Resources’ share price has fallen sharply since launching its scrip bid; based on its closing price of $A16.15 on 19 June, the implied value of its offer has fallen to $A0.028 per share, compared with Hancock’s cash bid of $A0.042. Atlas’s port access rights at Port Hedland are a key attraction for the bidders – despite the Western Australian Government’s ruling that junior miners have priority access – along with accumulated tax losses that exceed $A500m.

CORPORATES
ATLAS IRON LIMITED – ASX AGO, MINERAL RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX MIN, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG

Rio’s flexible approach in production revamp

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Original article by Matt Chambers
The Australian – Page: 17 & 20 : 19-Jun-18

Rio Tinto has advised that its iron ore production and rail capacity is expected to rise to 360 million tonnes by the end of 2019, in line with its port capacity. The resources group has previously forecast that iron ore production for 2018 will be within the range of 330 million to 340 million tonnes. Rio Tinto has also signalled that it will adopt a "value over volume" strategy for its Pilbara operations, which will allow it to adjust production of different iron ore products in response to demand from buyers or changes in the price of the steel input.

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

Billionaire battle as Rinehart bids $390m for Atlas

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Original article by Paul Garvey
The Australian – Page: 17 & 20 : 19-Jun-18

Hancock Prospecting’s cash offer of $A0.042 per share for Atlas Iron and follows its recent acquisition of a substantial shareholding in the iron ore miner. Mineral Resources has previously offered $A0.036 per share for Atlas in a scrip bid, while Andrew Forrest’s Fortescue Metals Group has acquired a 19.9 per cent stake in Atlas. There is speculation that mining magnate Gina Rinehart is primarily interested in two proposed new berths at Port Hedland, which are adjacent to Hancock’s existing berths. However, the Western Australian Government would have to back down on its stance that junior iron ore miners should have priority access to the new berths.

CORPORATES
ATLAS IRON LIMITED – ASX AGO, HANCOCK PROSPECTING PTY LTD, MINERAL RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX MIN, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, REDSTONE CORPORATION, SHAW AND PARTNERS LIMITED, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF TRANSPORT, AWE LIMITED, MITSUI AND COMPANY LIMITED