SimFer’s first full ‘high-grade’ product has been shipped abroad from the Simandou Project, 526km southeast of Conakry.
The joint venture between Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO), Chalco Iron Ore (HK:2600), and the Guinea Government also achieved its first sale.
“600,000 tonnes was shipped to China during the quarter. First sales have been realised in April [2026],” Rio said in its latest Q1 operations review.
“Ore continues to be crushed, utilising temporary crushing facilities, with first ore expected through permanent crushing facilities in the second half of 2026… [and] as at the end of the first quarter, 2.1 million tonnes of crushed ore has been stockpiled at the mine gate ready for loading.”
The milestone was not without controversy, following the aftermath of a contractor’s 14 February death at the mine.
Work and activity were temporarily suspended at the site for one month, during which investigations, counselling, and other ongoing support occurred.
“Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the family, friends, and colleagues of our teammate who lost their life, and with everyone affected by this tragedy… [and] we are providing our full support and will work with relevant authorities, our partners, and contractors to complete a thorough investigation to fully understand what happened and prevent recurrence,” Rio CEO Simon Trott says.
“We are determined to learn from this incident and to do everything we can to provide the safest possible workplace and prevent tragedies like this from happening.”
A further six local employees earlier died during the construction of a port and 670km railway to the mine between June 2023 and November 2024.
Two more workplace fatalities were reported since November 2024, according to Reuters.
When the newswire agency asked Rio about the other six dead workers, a Rio spokesperson promised to work “each and every day with our partners… to share knowledge and expertise, so safety is continuously improved across Simandou — which is a uniquely complex project.”
SimFer is an iron ore joint venture with assets in Guinea.
Write to Richard Szabo at Mining.com.au
Images: Simfer
