PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Major BHP has marked three-billion tonnes of iron-ore exports to China.

“BHP’s relationships with our customers in China have been fundamentally important to our company over the past 50 years,” said BHP chief commercial officer Vandita Pant.

“Through the reliable delivery of our high-quality iron-ore resources and significant investment in steelmaking capability, together we have grown trade and provided the materials necessary for economic development globally.

“We look forward to building on our strong partnerships through collaboration to innovate and advance technologies with the potential to help decarbonise the steelmaking industry.”

It took nearly 30 years for BHP to deliver its first 100-million tonnes of iron-ore to China following the first shipment in 1973. By 2014, BHP had shipped one-billion tonnes and, following significant investment and growth in BHP’s Western Australian iron-ore business, it has now delivered three-billion tonnes just nine years later.

“This is a significant milestone for BHP’s iron-ore business and for Western Australia, and we are delighted to commemorate the achievement, celebrate our partnerships and showcase our world-class Western Australian operations,” said Western Australian iron-ore asset president Brandon Craig.

“We are fully focused on continuing to produce and deliver our high-quality iron-ore resources safely, reliably and sustainably.”

Federal Resources Minister Madeleine King said the three-billion-tonne shipment was an ‘incredible milestone not only for BHP, but for Australia and countries like China, that have worked together to create a world-leading iron-ore industry.

“This industry has underpinned the economic development of Western Australia and remains the backbone of the national economy. This milestone is all the more amazing when you consider that there was a time when Australian governments thought our nation was so short of iron-ore that exports were prevented on national security grounds,” King said.