China receives 1st batch of iron ore from Simandou in Guinea – Reuters

China received the first batch of iron ore from Rio Tinto Group's Simandou mine in Guinea, Reuters reported Jan. 17, citing a statement from China Baowu Steel Group Co. Ltd. on WeChat.

A vessel containing almost 200,000 metric tons of iron ore arrived at the Majishan port in the province of Zhejiang earlier on the same day, following a 46-day journey.

In October 2025, Rio Tinto said it had stockpiled 2 million metric tons of high-grade iron ore and had planned an inaugural delivery to China by mid-November of the same year.

Simandou is estimated to contain 4 billion metric tons of ore with an average iron content of 65%. The deposit is projected to produce 120 million metric tons per year at full capacity.

The ore deposit comprises two areas, with Winning Consortium Simandou SAU and China Baowu developing Simandou Blocks 1 & 2. Simandou Blocks 3 & 4 are jointly owned by Rio Tinto and Aluminum Corp. of China. Guinea's government holds interests in both operations.