Mineral Resources shuts Australian iron ore haul road

: Metals
25/03/19

Australian metal producer Mineral Resources (MinRes) has closed the Onslow haulage road, a private highway linking its 35mn t/yr Onslow iron mine to the Port of Ashburton in Western Australia, over safety challenges.

Two road train trailers tipped over while moving along the road on 17 March, triggering an internal investigation by MinRes. State occupational safety regulator Worksafe WA then issued MinRes a notice about risks to its road train operations on 18 March, prompting the closure. The company declined to comment on the specifics of the notice.

MinRes is continuing to move iron ore to Ashburton using contractors and has indicated that the closure will not affect its full-year Onslow shipment guidance of 8.8mn–9.3mn wet metric tonne (wmt) of ore.

The recent accident was the latest in a series of Onslow truck rollovers. Four road trains, carrying loads of iron ore, toppled over between August-November 2024. MinRes responded to the incidents by improving signage along the road, re-examining its design, and providing additional training to drivers, the company told investors in January.

This is also not the first Onslow road closure. Cyclone Sean damaged parts of the haul road in late January, as it passed along WA's coast. MinRes' CEO Chris Ellison last month told investors that "[the company] lost about eight days of loading in January and another seven days in February".

By Avinash Govind

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