Hebei Port Group and Vale Propose Building the Caofeidian–Tubarão Iron Ore Green Shipping Corridor

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On September 18, Hebei Port Group and Brazil's Vale held a working discussion in Rio de Janeiro, where the two sides signed the "Joint Initiative on the Establishment of the 'Caofeidian–Tubarão Iron Ore Green Shipping Corridor,'" planning to promote the establishment of an iron ore maritime transport route between China's Caofeidian Port and Brazil's Tubarão Port, served by vessels with low or zero greenhouse gas emissions. The two sides will also jointly work with shipping and industry chain participants to advance follow-up cooperation, with the goal of achieving net-zero emissions for iron ore maritime transport between the two ports.

Caofeidian Port is one of Vale's important ports for conducting iron ore transport operations in northern China. In October 2025, Hebei Port Group, Vale, and the Caofeidian District Government held cooperation discussions centered on iron ore transport, covering operations including ore unloading, ore blending, warehousing, and navigation of 400,000-tonne-class ore vessels. At that time, Hebei Port Group proposed advancing work related to the Phase III capacity expansion and renovation of the Caofeidian ore terminal and the 400,000-tonne channel in the Bohai Bay. Vale's business cooperation with Hebei Port Group is mainly distributed across the Jingtang Port Area and the Caofeidian Port Area.

The Caofeidian Port Area has now developed a large-scale green iron ore collection and distribution system. From January to August 2026, the green transport ratio of Caogang Group's iron ore reached 96.67%, and new energy vehicles accounted for more than 90% of vehicles entering and leaving the port; the port area has put into operation nearly 400 new energy transfer vehicles and nearly 300 new energy non-road mobile machines, and has built 3 intelligent loading stations and 8 main dedicated railway lines. As of 2025, specialized terminals in the Caofeidian Port Area have achieved full shore power coverage.

Vale has long used large ore carriers for iron ore transport from Brazil to Asia, and its large ore transport vessel system includes 400,000-tonne-class vessels. Vale previously disclosed that about 70% to 74% of large vessels above 180,000 tonnes are used on the Brazil–China route. This green shipping corridor initiative incorporates the ports at both ends, Caofeidian Port and Tubarão Port, together with the maritime transport segment into a single emission-reduction cooperation framework. At the current stage, it remains a joint initiative, and specific implementation arrangements will subsequently be advanced by both sides together with value chain participants.