Western Australia’s Port of Esperance is celebrating a significant milestone reached last week, following the successful sharing of iron ore circuit assets – including shed space, shiploader and berth, between two companies.
Southern Ports and Gold Valley have celebrated the achievement, which culminated in the departure of bulk carrier MV Sifnos carrying over 78,000 tonnes of iron ore from the Wiluna West mine in the Northern Goldfields.
Delivery of Gold Valley’s ore commenced at the start of October with a 900-kilometre multi-modal land transport journey from the Wiluna West mine site to Esperance over both truck and rail.
“Southern Ports opening its Port of Esperance to a second iron ore customer is another example of how the ports sector is driving economic benefits for the southern regions of our state,” Ports Minister David Michael says.
“Western Australia’s mining industry continues to drive the country’s economy with our ports playing a critical role in connecting trade to the world.”
Gold Valley’s deal with Southern Ports was signed in August, and it joined Mineral Resources Limited as the Port of Esperance’s second iron ore customer.
Its asset portfolio includes copper, iron ore and gold and focuses on tier one mining jurisdictions in Western Australia and the Northern Territory.
The Perth-based business delivers pit-to-port solutions through the integration of multi-modal logistics with its trading operations.
Gold Valley Chairman Yuzheng Xie says he’s looking forward to continuing to build the iron ore partnership in Esperance.
“It was a proud moment for everyone at Gold Valley to watch the MV Sifnos load with our Wiluna West iron ore before it heads to China,” Xie says.
“Exporting through the Port of Esperance has opened new opportunities for us, and we look forward to continuing our partnership with Southern Ports.”
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