Representatives from Rio Tinto, Mitsui and Nippon Steel have gathered in Perth to celebrate the 50-year anniversary of the Robe River joint venture’s first shipment of iron ore from the Pilbara to Japan.
When the Fujisan Maru departed Cape Lambert on October 5 1972, sailing for Japan loaded with 68,589 tonnes of iron ore, it marked the beginning of a hugely successful partnership. The Robe River joint venture has since shipped more than 1.7 billion tonnes of iron ore.
“The Robe River joint venture represents a remarkable achievement in the development of the Pilbara’s iron ore, and Mitsui is honoured to have been a partner from the very beginning,” Mitsui senior executive managing officer Motoaki Uno said.
“It is wonderful to see how Australia and Japan at that time joined hands together to create a whole supply chain.”
Robe River is a joint venture between Rio Tinto (53 per cent), Mitsui Iron Ore Development (33 per cent), and Nippon Steel (14 per cent). Operations began in the Robe Valley, near Pannawonica, in 1972, followed by an expansion at West Angelas in 2002. Iron ore is railed to the port of Cape Lambert, where lump and fines product is shipped to steel producers, primarily throughout Asia.
The joint venture has other major mining infrastructure in the Pilbara, including an iron ore port facility at Cape Lambert, power assets and heavy haul rail lines connecting its operations.
“The Robe River joint venture is a remarkable partnership that has spanned half a century and is at the heart of an incredible connection between Australia and Japan, forged in a bold vision for shared prosperity,” Rio Tinto iron ore chief executive Simon Trott said.
“Our partnership with Mitsui and Nippon Steel has been integral in our journey to being a world-class iron ore business in Western Australia and I am proud of the role the Robe River joint venture has also played in the development of modern Japan.”
That development of Japan was also cited by Nippon Steel executive counsellor Jiro Kobayashi.
“Iron ore from Robe River joint venture has made a significant contribution to our stable production of steel,” he said. “We would like to send our appreciation to the Western Australian government and traditional owners for their support of these developments.”