Rio Tinto has marked the shipment of 8 billion tons of iron ore from the Pilbara area to international markets, 60 years after its initial shipment. This milestone shipment left Cape Lambert port on May 19 on the vessel Juno Horizon, heading to Nippon Steel Corporation.

Rio Tinto's first Pilbara iron ore shipment set sail in August 1966 for Japan. The company's Pilbara operations have supported the development of six towns and five additional communities through its fly-in-fly-out program.

Rio Tinto is also advancing studies at the Rhodes Ridge deposit, which could produce about 100 million tons of high-quality iron ore annually to help sustain mid-term capacity of 345-360 million tons per year.