Rio Tinto Iron Ore Shipments Hit Lowest Level Since 2019

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): Rio Tinto released first quarter 2025 production results. The company’s iron ore shipments during the quarter hit the lowest level since 2019.

During the first quarter of the year, a string of tropical cyclones affected operations at the Dampier Port in the Pilbara region. After this, the corporation issued a warning that poor weather conditions would cause a total loss of almost 13 million tons of raw materials used in the production of steel. The business now issues a warning that additional weather-related delays may cause the 2025 prediction to be missed. Rio Tinto anticipates that this year's Pilbara iron ore exports will fall between 323 million and 338 million metric tons, which is the lower end of its projection range.

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Rio Tinto is in danger of losing its status as the world's top producer of iron ore to Vale SA, a company based in Brazil, as it has been continuously unable to increase production.

However, Rio Tinto's total copper production increased to 210,000 tons, a 16% year-over-year increase. This is in spite of a 32% drop in output from its Kennecott, Utah, facility during the quarter due to unforeseen conveyor maintenance.

According to Rio Tinto CEO Jakob Stausholm, the business saw significant operational improvement in March of this year, with record output coming from the bauxite and copper mines at Oyu Tolgoi. Extreme weather occurrences affected the Pilbara iron ore operations, he said.