Fortescue shipped 46.1 million tonnes (Mt) of iron ore during the March 2025 quarter, leading the major miner to shipping a record 143.2Mt for the nine months ending March 31.
Fortescue mined 55.5Mt in the March quarter, a 19 per cent increase from the prior corresponding period. The result was credited to increased volumes across the Hematite and Iron Bridge operations.
A total of 47.6Mt was processed, a 12 per cent jump from the prior corresponding period. Fortescue processed 146.7Mt in the nine-month period ending March 31, another record for the company.
Safety continued to be a highlight for Fortescue, delivering a total recordable injury frequency rate (TRIFR) of 1.1 for the nine months ending March 31.
The result was a 27 per cent improvement from the 1.5 TRIFR recorded for the nine months ending March 31 2024.
“We achieved another solid quarterly production result, shipping 46.1 million tonnes of iron ore while maintaining our outstanding safety performance,” Fortescue Metals chief executive officer (CEO) Dino Otranto said.
“This was a particularly impressive achievement, as the team safely and effectively navigated several significant weather events in the quarter. With record shipments achieved for the nine months leading up to March 31, we remain on track to deliver on our full year guidance (of 190–200Mt).
“During the quarter, we also completed the acquisition of Red Hawk Mining which supports our strategy to continually optimise our iron ore operations in the Pilbara, giving us the flexibility to enhance our future mine plan.”
By acquiring Red Hawk, Fortescue has added the Blacksmith iron ore project to its Pilbara iron ore portfolio.
Located 30km west of Fortescue’s Solomon operations in the Western Hub, Blacksmith’s total mineral resource estimate currently sits at 243Mt at 59.3 per cent iron grade. The project will be integrated into Fortescue’s life of mine plan.
Fortescue also maintained its decarbonisation initiatives during the March quarter, commencing construction on a 190-megawatt solar farm at its Cloudbreak iron mine in the Pilbara.
“It has been a big quarter for our green technology business, reaching a key milestone in the delivery of decarbonisation for Fortescue, with the successful production and shipment of the first T 264 power system to Liebherr,” Fortescue Energy CEO Mark Hutchinson said.
“Our Fortescue Zero teams have also developed and supplied the Formula E World Championship with our innovative Pit Boost technology, bringing mid-race charging to the series for the first time.
“We are also continuing to assess the timelines of our Green Energy project pipeline to reflect global market conditions and policy settings.”
Fortescue closed the quarter with $US3.3 billion ($5.1 billion) in cash and paying an interim dividend of $US1 billion ($1.5 billion).
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