Champion resumes rail shipments at Canadian iron ore mine following wildfires

Railway service has resumed from Champion Iron's Bloom Lake mine to the port of Sept-Îles following recent forest fires in the area, the Canada-based iron ore producer said in an update late June 12. The company, however, expects shipments of stockpiled iron ore concentrate to be materially delayed.

Champion completed its first rail shipment from Bloom Lake to the port of Sept-Îles June 10, it said.

"Following the gradual ramp-up in the capacity of the railway and limited additional availability of rolling stock to accommodate excess volumes beyond Bloom Lake's production capacity, the company expects material delays in sales of its stockpiled iron ore concentrate at Bloom Lake," it said.

Railway service had been interrupted since May 30, with the company warning(opens in a new tab) June 6 it expected this to cause material delays in its iron ore sales.

"As the forest fires recently subsided in the region, no significant damage was identified to the railway following inspections by its operator, resulting in a gradual reopening of services," Champion said in the June 12 update.

Bloom Lake operated continuously throughout the railway interruptions, with the company stockpiling iron ore concentrate at the mining complex, it said. The company ships iron ore concentrate from Bloom Lake by rail to a ship loading port in Sept-Îles, selling its iron ore concentrate to customers globally, including in China, Japan, the Middle East, Europe, South Korea, India, and Canada.

For the full-year fiscal 2023, Champion reported iron ore concentrate production of 11.19 million wmt at Bloom Lake.

Platts assessed the benchmark 62% Fe Iron Ore Index at $112.90/dmt CFR North China June 13, up 50 cents from June 12.