At a ceremony in Forecaria Prefecture, President of the Republic of Guinea Mamadi Doumbouya joined project partners Winning Consortium Simandou (WCS) and SimFer to mark the start of work at Simandou, Africa's largest integrated mining and infrastructure project, according to a press release from Australian mining company Rio Tinto.
The project involves the construction of more than 600 kilometers of new multi-purpose Trans-Guinea railroad connecting the southeastern mining concessions with newly built barge and transhipment vessel port facilities on the Atlantic Coast. Once the system is fully operational and expanded, SimFer and WCS will jointly export up to 120 million tonnes of iron ore per year from their respective concessions, establishing Guinea as a major global supplier of premium iron ore.
First phase of shipping and testing
The first barge, operated by Winning Set, sails from the port of Morebay, carrying 9,850 tonnes of iron ore to be loaded onto the bulk carrier Winning Youth. The voyage officially marked Simandou's entry into the global market.
Comprehensive testing and commissioning of the mine, rail and port systems is currently underway, Rio Tinto said. Both WCS and SimFer have begun transporting iron ore from mine to port via the Trans Guinea Railroad, a major milestone demonstrating operational readiness across the entire supply chain.
Ownership and Operating Structure
