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Sheet pile dock at Port Milne

March 10, 2015

Baffinland will be shipping iron ore out of Port Milne, Nunavut this year for the first time. To this end the proponent ArcelorMittal will construct a sheet pile dock. Baffinland is owned 50% by ArcelorMittal.

The dock will support a two-tower radial ship loader and reclaim conveyor system that will load vessels with iron ore from Baffinland’s Mary River deposit. Baffinland’s procurement department worked diligently to coordinate the transfer of technical information from the ore dock engineers to ArcelorMittal and vice versa. This included providing feedback regarding ArcelorMittal’s welding procedures and quality inspection plans, and monitoring the order to ensure delivery deadlines were met. With its innovative and unrivaled product range, ArcelorMittal is the world leader in design and production of sheet piles, which have been recognised within the company as a ‘franchise’ product.

Baffinland employs 700 people in its Mary River mining project, with about 250 coming from Nunavut communities. The company plans to ship 3.5 M tonnes of ore (avg. grad 67% !) per year out of Port Milne, starting in July 2015. The shipping season runs from July to October.

Interestingly another sheet pile dock was constructed in Dutch Harbor, Alaska, on the Aleutian Chain, approximately 800 air miles from Anchorage, Alaska.

Commentary

It is fitting that the dock utilizes steel from Europe as this is where much of the iron ore is destined from Baffinland’s mine.

The amazing thing is that the mine is operating full tilt in an economic environment that is not great. Iron ore prices are collapsing.

Sources

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Source: Baffinland