At 11:48 on January 17, 2026, the first shipment of nearly 200,000 tons of Simandou iron ore successfully arrived at a Chinese port. China Baowu Steel Group Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "China Baowu") called it an important milestone in the history of global steel industry development.

The cargo ship "WINNING YOUTH" departed from the Port of Marabaya in Guinea on December 2, 2025, local time. After a 46-day ocean voyage covering 10,958 nautical miles, it arrived at Pier 2 of Majishan Port.

China Baowu stated that the arrival of the first shipment of Simandou iron ore in China marks the full opening of the integrated whole-process supply chain channel for the Simandou iron ore project, which includes "mine - railway - overseas port - transshipment - ocean transportation - domestic seaport - sea-route-to-river transportation - inland river port". This can significantly enhance the iron ore supply capacity and is of great significance to the raw material guarantee for China Baowu and even Chinese steel enterprises.

Public information shows that Majishan Port is Asia's largest ore transshipment deep-water port, located about 120 kilometers away from the raw material terminal of Baoshan Iron & Steel Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Baosteel Co., Ltd., 600019.SH"). Its throughput in 2024 exceeded 60 million tons, making it an important hub for raw material supply to large steel enterprises in the Yangtze River Delta region.

China Baowu stated that after the cargo ship was stably moored, the iron ore was grabbed by the ship unloader and then unloaded to the stockyard via the conveyor belt. The first 24,000 tons of iron ore to be transported from the sea to the river will be shipped to the Baoshan Base of Baoshan Iron & Steel Co., Ltd. by "Baohang 16", an owned ship of Baowu Resources Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Baowu Resources").

According to what a reporter from China Business Journal learned, the "WINNING YOUTH" cargo ship will then continue northward to Rizhao Port in Shandong Province, where the iron ore will be crushed and screened.

A person from Baowu Resources told reporters that Baowu Resources has built an intelligent ore blending processing center with an annual processing capacity of 10 million tons at Rizhao Port. This project has formed a strategic resource reserve base radiating the East China and North China regions, enhancing China Baowu's iron ore resource guarantee capacity. At the same time, by building a dual-cycle system of "domestic bases + overseas mines", Baowu Resources will further improve its iron ore self-sufficiency rate, ensure the security of national strategic resources, and promote the high-quality development of the steel industry.

Rizhao Port is affiliated to Shandong Port Group. It is worth mentioning that Yantai Port, another port under Shandong Port Group, is also closely associated with the Simandou project.

A person from China Railway Construction Corporation told reporters that the entire section of the rail line from the Maribaya Port to the Simandou mining area (hereinafter referred to as the "Trans-Guinea Railway"), which serves as the transportation artery for the Simandou mining area, is constructed using Chinese standards, Chinese technologies, and Chinese equipment. Yantai Port is an important node for the transportation of construction materials such as steel rails, sleepers, and ton-bag cement. In terms of transportation, Yantai Port has successively opened up multiple major water-to-water and land-to-water logistics channels, including "Yingkou - Yantai - Guinea" and "Yangzhou - Yantai - Guinea", with the maximum monthly shipment volume reaching 12 trips. "In addition, the freight trains for the Trans-Guinea Railway in the Simandou mining area are also shipped from Yantai Port," said the person from China Railway Construction Corporation.

A person familiar with Baowu Resources stated that the second shipment of Simandou iron ore was dispatched at the end of 2025, and Baowu Resources will take the Simandou iron ore mine as the leader to promote a breakthrough in the total output of iron ore both at home and abroad.

As learned by reporters, the Simandou project, a world-class comprehensive development project integrating mine development, railway construction and port operation, is a typical case of collaborative advancement by Chinese and foreign enterprises. As one of the leading parties of the project, China Aluminum Corporation (Chinalco) has, since entering the project in 2011, joined hands with Chinese-funded enterprises such as China Aluminum International, Sinosteel International, China Railway Construction Corporation, China Harbour Engineering Company, China Overseas Holdings Limited, CSSC Chengxi Shipyard, CRRC Corporation Limited and XCMG Group to participate deeply in the construction, demonstrating the cluster strength of Chinese-funded enterprises in "going global as a group".

The Simandou project is jointly developed by the Government of Guinea, SimFer, and the Winning Consortium Simandou (hereinafter referred to as "WCS"). After the project is put into operation, all co-built infrastructure and equipment will be transferred to the Transguinean company for operation. The Transguinean company is owned by SimFer and WCS with 42.5% shares each, and the Government of Guinea holds 15% shares.

WCS is owned 51% by Winning International Group and 49% by Weiqiao Aluminum and Baowu Resources; SimFer is owned by the Guinean government (15%) and Simfer Jersey (85%). Simfer Jersey is a joint venture between Rio Tinto Group (53%) and Chinalco Iron Ore (47%); Chinalco Iron Ore is led by Chinalco Group and includes a number of state-owned enterprises, with Chinalco Group holding 75%, China Baowu 20%, China Railway Construction and China Harbour Engineering each holding 2.5%.

Simandou Iron Ore Mine is located in Bela Province, southeastern Guinea. It is a world-class large-scale high-quality open-pit hematite mine with an ore body stretching 110 kilometers and resources exceeding 4 billion tons, with an average total iron grade of over 65%, which is comparable to the Carajás deposit owned by Brazil's Vale (NYSE: VALE). The project is developed in northern and southern blocks. The southern block is jointly promoted by Aluminum Corporation of China and Rio Tinto, while the northern block is jointly advanced by Baowu Resources and WCS.

If you have any inquiries or purchasing needs, please feel free to contact SunSirs with support@sunsirs.com