Overview
Our strategy is to grow our position in iron ore and to supply premium, high-quality iron ore products in the face of declining quality global supplies.
Employee overlooking the Port Operations at Saldanha, South Africa
We have a unique iron ore resource footprint with large, high-quality resource bases in South Africa and Brazil. Our iron ore assets are divided into two operating units: Kumba Iron Ore in South Africa and Iron Ore Brazil.
Kumba Iron Ore
We hold a 62.76% shareholding in Kumba Iron Ore, a pure-play iron ore company, which listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange following its unbundling from Kumba Resources in November 2006. The company operates two mines in South Africa – Sishen in the Northern Cape, and Thabazimbi in Limpopo. Kumba is a leading supplier of seaborne iron ore and exported more than 85% of its total iron ore sales volumes in 2009.
Iron Ore Brazil
In Brazil, we have a 100% interest in the Minas Rio iron ore project. We also hold a 49% shareholding in LLX Minas Rio, which owns the port of Açu (currently under construction) from which iron ore from the Minas Rio project will be exported and a 70% interest in the Amapá iron ore system.
The Minas Rio iron ore project will include open pit mines and a beneficiation plant in Minas Gerais producing high-grade pellet feed, which will be transported through a slurry pipeline more than 500 kilometres to the Port of Açu in Rio de Janeiro state. The Amapá iron ore system is in the Amapá state in northern Brazil.
Samancor Manganese
We have a 40% shareholding in Samancor Manganese, which owns Hotazel Manganese Mines and Metalloys, both in South Africa, and Australian-based Groote Eylandt Mining Company (GEMCO) and Tasmanian Electro Metallurgical Company (TEMCO). BHP Billiton owns 60% of Samancor and has management control.
Samancor Manganese is the world’s largest producer of seaborne manganese ore and is among the top three global producers of manganese alloy. Its operations produce a combination of ores, alloys and metal from sites in South Africa and Australia.
