Anglo American has started shipping first coal from the company’s Grosvenor metallurgical coal site in Bowen Basin of Queensland, Australia.
The first shipment has been loaded on the MV Spring Aeolian vessel bound for India, a 22 day voyage.
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According to the company, only 19,000t of Grosvenor’s coal product was shipped after being transported from the site in Moranbah to Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal near Mackay in February.
The Grosvenor coal cargo is part of around 78,000t of Moranbah North Hard Coking coal loaded on-board the MV Spring Aeolian.
Anglo American started shipping coal from the mine after building the underground roadways, conveyors and mining panels to prepare installation of the longwall mining machinery, which is expected to be in full mining production in 2016.
Anglo American metallurgical coal marketing and sales head Rod Elliott said Grosvenor’s first coal sale added to the company’s quality product portfolio from its Queensland operations.
Elliott said: "Our $1.95bn investment in Grosvenor is the cornerstone of our asset portfolio and growth, and seeing the first commercial benefits from our investment is a very important achievement."
The teams from Grosvenor site, the Moranbah Coal Handling and Preparation Plant and the Brisbane Integrated Coal Chain have helped to get the coal from the Grosvenor underground operation loaded on the MV Spring Aeolian.
Anglo American said in a separate announcement that the Grosvenor mine is celebrating after its tunnel boring machine broke through rock, 29 days ahead of schedule to complete the people and equipment tunnel.
The company’s $1.9bn flagship underground longwall mine Grosvenor will produce about five million tonnes of coking coal for exports once operational in 2016.
