The shipment was carried out on May 19, 2026, from the Cape Lambert port aboard the vessel Juno Horizon, which was heading to Nippon Steel Corporation, one of the company’s long-standing business partners.
The shipment from Rio Tinto’s Pilbara operations is regarded as a reflection of the company’s long-term commercial relationships with Asian markets, while it was recalled that the company’s first iron ore shipment was made to Japan in August 1966.
The statement highlighted that the total 8 billion tons of shipped iron ore would be sufficient to produce the steel needed to build approximately 161,000 Perth Optus Stadiums, 134,000 Tokyo Skytrees, or more than 46,000 Beijing National Stadiums.
Rio Tinto Iron Ore CEO Matthew Holcz stated that the achievement reflects the efforts of generations who contributed to the development of operations, infrastructure, and communities over the past 60 years. Holcz also noted that Japan was the company’s first customer and that the cooperation between the two sides remains important today.
Rio Tinto’s operations in Pilbara have contributed to the development of many regional communities, including Karratha, Wickham, Tom Price, Paraburdoo, Pannawonica, and Dampier. The company aims to maintain annual production capacity of between 345 million and 360 million tons in the medium term. It was also stated that development activities continue at the Rhodes Ridge site, which stands out with its high-quality iron ore reserves.
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