• First shipment of nearly 200,000 tons reaches China in January

• Simandou starts commercial exports after entering production in late 2025

• Project reshapes Guinea’s mining outlook and China’s iron ore supply strategy

Guinea’s long-delayed Simandou iron ore project has entered the global market, with its first commercial shipment arriving in China. This marks a turning point for one of Africa’s most ambitious mining developments.

China Baowu Steel, the world’s largest steel producer and a shareholder in the project, said it has received an initial cargo of iron ore from Simandou. The company said a vessel carrying close to 200,000 tons docked on January 17 at the port of Majishan, in China’s eastern Zhejiang province, after a 46-day voyage. A second shipment is already en route, having departed Guinea in late December.

A long-delayed project takes shape

The delivery confirms the effective start of exports from Simandou, which officially entered production at the end of 2025 after more than 20 years marked by delays, legal disputes, and repeated renegotiations. Long viewed as a symbol of Guinea’s untapped mineral wealth, the project is now moving from promise to execution.

Located in southeastern Guinea between Beyla and Kérouané, Simandou is widely considered one of the largest high-grade iron ore deposits still undeveloped globally. Mining operations were formally launched on November 11, 2025, under a development led by Rio Tinto Simfer and Winning Consortium Simandou.

The project comprises four mining blocks and is expected to reach total production capacity of around 120 million tons a year once fully ramped up, according to official projections. Output will increase gradually, with an intermediate target of about 60 million tons a year during the initial phases.

A key enabler of this shift to production has been the completion of the Trans-Guinean railway corridor, a more than 600-kilometer logistics artery linking the Forest Guinea mining zone to export terminals on the Atlantic coast. The railway underpins the entire project, allowing large-scale shipments to international markets.

Strategic stakes for Guinea and China

For Guinea, the first exports mark a strategic milestone. International financial institutions estimate that Simandou could significantly lift economic growth over the medium term and increase mining’s contribution to public revenues. Authorities see the project as a cornerstone of a broader development strategy, branded Simandou 2040, which aims to reinvest mining income into infrastructure, agriculture, education, and industrial capacity.

China, the initial destination for Simandou ore, also has strong strategic incentives. The country currently sources about 80% of its iron ore imports from Australia and Brazil and has sought to diversify supply to reduce exposure to a limited number of producers. Investments in overseas mining projects such as Simandou are part of this effort to secure long-term access to raw materials.

The high iron content of Simandou ore, estimated at more than 65%, adds to its strategic value. Higher-grade inputs are increasingly sought by steelmakers aiming to improve efficiency and cut emissions as the industry transitions toward lower-carbon production processes. Analysts, including those at S&P Global, expect Simandou’s output to influence not only Asian markets but also global steel supply dynamics, including in Europe.

Louis-Nino Kansoun