MMX of Brazilian group EBX has sent its first shipment of iron ore to China, of 150,000 tonnes to the Wuhan Iron and Steel Group.

China’s Wisco is involved in a partnership with the EBX group for construction of a steel plant in the port of Açu, in São João da Barra in the north of Rio de Janeiro state. The shipment was carried out via the Companhia Siderúrgica Nacional cargo terminal, at the port of Itaguaí as none of the EBX group’s ports has started operating yet.

When the port of Sudeste also in Itaguaí, starts operating in 2012, shipments will be sent from there with MMX having signed a contract with LLX, the group’s logistics company to export 33.7 million tonnes of iron ore per year, of which 17 million tonnes will be sent to Wisco.

This port will initially have capacity to handle 50 million tonnes of iron ore per year and later may reach 100 million tonnes and represents an investment of USD 1 billion.

(Sourced from Macauhub)