Fortescue MetalsGroup Ltd. said April 4 that it will shift to an owner-operator modelat the Christmas Creek iron ore mining operations within its Chichester Hub property in Western Australia, effectivefrom Sept. 30 upon completion of the current mining services contract with DownerEDI Ltd.

Downer EDI has been involved with mining at Christmas Creek sincethe outset of the project.

According to Fortescue, a comprehensive change management planis in place to allow for a safe and orderly changeover of operations; productionfrom Christmas Creek is not expected to be affected during the transition.

The company expects the owner-operator model to result in costsavings through ongoing improvement of the efficiency and productivity of the mine,while remaining committed to safety.