Rio Tinto to develop Weipa deep water port

Mining giant Rio Tinto is set to develop a new deep water port at its Weipa mine in far north Queensland, Australia to allow loading of larger ships to meet a rising demand for bauxite, according to The Australian Financial Review.

According to the report, the development could reduce Rio Tinto's exposure to the infrastructure bottlenecks hurting the mining sector.

Rio Tinto has ordered five new ships and already received two post-Panamax vessels.

"We have recognised the potential that exists in Weipa, largely because we understand that the constraints to the industry's growth in the future is about bauxite and energy,"said Steven Hodgson, Rio Tinto's head of bauxite and alumina.

Source: Dredging News Online