JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – JSE-listed Kumba Iron Ore on Thursday reported a marginal year-on-year decline in second-quarter production, but its quarter-on-quarter performance had improved substantially, as its Sishen mine improved production rates following a strike in late 2012.

The iron-ore producer – a unit of Anglo American – delivered total production of 11.3-million tonnes during the three months to June, compared with the 10.3-million tonnes produced during the first quarter of 2013.

This is, however, a 1% year-on-year decline from the 11.4-million tonnes produced in the corresponding period in the prior year.

Production at the Sishen mine, where workers downed tools illegally for two weeks in the 2012 fourth quarter, was 9% lower year-on-year, but up 13% quarter-on-quarter to 8.56-million tonnes. The Kolomela mine produced 2.6-million tonnes of ore during the period under review, a 49% rise year-on-year and 4% decline quarter-on-quarter.

While the output of 132 000 t at the Thabazimbi mine during the June quarter fell 50% from the 262 000 t reported in the corresponding period in 2012, it represented a 28% increase compared with the first-quarter output of 103 000 t.

Kumba noted that total sales reached 11.31-million tonnes of iron-ore in the June quarter. This was a 5% decline from 11.96-million tonnes in the second quarter of 2012 and a 4% rise from the 10.8-million achieved in the first quarter.

Export sales volumes reached 10.2-million tonnes during the three months under review – a 4% decrease compared with the 10.5-million achieved in the corresponding period the year before and an increase of 2% compared to the 9.9-million tonnes reported in the preceding quarter.

The company’s domestic sales volumes decreased 17% year-on-year, but it reported a quarter-on-quarter increase of 28% to 1.1-million tonnes.

Total finished product stockpile levels amounted to 3.3-million tonnes at June.