en.Wedoany.com Reported - Baosteel Desheng of China recently completed the first unloading of Simandou iron ore at the Luoyuan Bay port area, marking the extension of the Simandou integrated supply chain to Luoyuan Bay, opening a new channel for stable and high-quality raw material supply for stainless steel production. This batch of ore originates from the Simandou iron ore mine in Guinea, a world-class large-scale high-quality open-pit hematite mine with high-grade total iron content, low impurity levels, and outstanding metallurgical properties. Through the entire supply chain of "mine—railway—overseas port—ocean transshipment—Luoyuan Bay terminal," the ore arrives directly at the port near the plant, reducing intermediate links and improving flow efficiency.
To ensure the smooth unloading of the first shipment, the Manufacturing Management Department coordinated with Baowu Resources, Luoyuan Bay terminal, port regulatory authorities, and internal stockyards and production teams to establish a closed-loop assurance system for the entire process. Internally, based on stainless steel smelting requirements, it confirmed the shipping schedule with Baowu Resources in advance and reviewed each node of ocean transportation, conducted on-site inspections of the plant's stockyard, designated an exclusive segregated storage area for Simandou ore, and equipped it with metering and sampling equipment to prevent mixing of different ore types. Externally, it maintained close communication with Luoyuan Bay terminal, submitted vessel information in advance, developed berthing and unloading plans, and allocated berth and transport vehicle resources to avoid vessel demurrage and yard capacity constraints, ensuring smooth coordination of berthing, customs clearance, unloading, and warehousing.
Upon the arrival of the first vessel, the Manufacturing Management Department established a dedicated coordination channel to facilitate the optimization of berth allocation, unloading machinery scheduling, and short-haul vehicle deployment at Luoyuan Bay terminal, refining the operational sequence from berthing and unloading to transshipment and warehousing, achieving seamless integration across all processes. On-site personnel were assigned for full-time monitoring, strictly enforcing segregation, isolation, and safety and environmental regulations. The entire vessel's ore transshipment and warehousing were completed efficiently, reducing the vessel's port stay time and minimizing demurrage costs. The stable operation of the entire logistics chain also confirmed the maturity and reliability of the Simandou cross-border supply chain.
The stable supply of high-grade Simandou ore will bring multiple benefits to the company. Its high-grade and low-impurity characteristics help optimize blast furnace burden ratios, reduce coke consumption and slag generation, while supporting emission reduction targets. Long-term stable supply can also diversify the overseas ore procurement structure, reduce dependence on a single ore type, enhance the supply chain's resilience to market fluctuations, and support stainless steel quality stability and foreign trade order fulfillment.
The Manufacturing Management Department plans to use this operation as a model to solidify routine communication mechanisms with the terminal and port authorities, continuously optimize standardized operational plans for vessel arrival, inspection, and unloading, while advancing research on blending processes for Simandou ore to gradually increase the proportion of high-grade ore used. In the future, the company will leverage Simandou's overseas high-quality resources to build a diversified, efficient, and resilient raw material supply system, supporting stainless steel capacity release with stable, low-cost, and low-carbon raw material supply.
