BLESSMETALS' Iron operation in Brazil is strategically located in areas with seaborne access to world markets, delivering logistical advantages to our customers.  We have access to dedicated reasonably deepwater ports allowing the use of handymax vessels (45,000 mt maximum) to further build on regional logistic advantages.

Even though, nowadays, we are more focused on conducting Manganese ore shipments, our Iron mining operation from our proprietary reserves is still in-process.  At the present time, for Iron, we’re outsourcing production.  Long life reserves with a strong portfolio of undeveloped resources and with access to key infrastructure provide flexibility to enable us to program our future Iron production capacity in line with customer needs.

The ore is unloaded from the train wagon into car dumpers and screened before being put into stockpiles on the storage patio; which is located nearby the docks.  Unfortunately, we do not count yet with reclaimers to scoop up the ore from the stockpiles, neither with a conveyor system to transfer it, and neither with shiploaders.  Therefore, the chartered vessels must have cranes to load the cargo into the dry-bulk carrier.  With this loading process the grabs or loading bucket-iron containers can load at a rate of about 7,000 tonnes a day.  On average, it takes about 1 week to load a ship.