PHCCI Team Fortescue Site Visit
PHCCI’s Visit to Fortescue’s Anderson Point Operations
Yesterday, the PHCCI team and the Fortescue Community Superintendent Hedland, Laura Hawes had an incredible experience visiting Fortescue’s Anderson Point operations. We were warmly welcomed by Operations Specialists Darren and Bre, who provided an informative and hands-on tour of the site, giving us a deeper understanding of the scale and complexity of Fortescue’s operations.
We were amazed to learn about the sheer size of their train cargo. Each train arriving at the site carries an impressive 34,000 tonnes of iron ore in 244 carts, with up to 16 trains arriving daily through 3 train unloaders to keep the operations flowing. Once delivered, the ore is stored across 36 stockpiles by 4 stackers. To move the ore efficiently, Fortescue uses a large conveyor belt system. With 70 belts stretching a total of 80 kilometres. Complementing this process are three reclaimers, which load ore at a staggering rate of 15,000 tonnes per hour. Ship loading approximately 580,000 tonnes per day, supporting Fortescue’s FY25 goal of shipping 198 million tonnes of iron ore.
A significant part of the tour included learning about the Iron Bridge Magnetite Project, which is transforming lower-grade ore into a premium 68% grade magnetite product through energy-intensive processing. This project is a game-changer, positioning Fortescue to become not only a low-cost operator but one of the largest producers of high-grade iron ore in the world. This year alone, the project aims to ship 7 million tonnes of magnetite.
The highlight of our visit was standing atop the ship loader, where we had the incredible opportunity to watch iron ore being loaded into a vessel. It was fascinating to see the scale and precision involved in this process. We were also treated to a harbour ride on two towage tugs, Tawny and Sandtiger, which gave us a unique and up-close view of the bustling port operations.
We wrapped up the day with a delicious lunch in the Tichella Room with General Manager, John Brereton, where we reflected on everything we had learned and experienced.
A massive thank you to Laura, Darren, Bre, John, and the entire Fortescue team for organising such an engaging and memorable day. It was an incredible behind-the-scenes look at one of the world’s most impressive mining operations!
