Interfax-China reported that China iron ore imports through Rizhao Port in Shandong Province hit a historical high of 11.1 million tonnes in January up by 44.7% over the same period of 2009.

According to MySteel Information iron ore shipments to the port surged in January after blizzards diverted ships that had been intended for other ports in northern China. The additional shipments made Rizhao Port China largest importer of iron ore in January. The port's iron ore stockpiles stood at 9.8million tonnes as of January 29th.

According to latest Chinese government statistics China imported 62.16 million tonnes of iron ore in December 2009.

(Sourced from Interfax-China)