The last train carrying iron ore from the Yilgarn region of Western Australia pulled into the Port of Esperance, with the MV Ingenuity leaving the port on December 30 with 173,013 tons of iron ore, marking the end of iron ore transport for Mineral Resources (MinRes), a mining company in Australia.

A spokesperson for Southern Ports said the port will actively seek new trade opportunities in iron ore and other commodities and is confident of attracting new customers. In December last year, Gold Valley completed the export of two shipments totaling 174,834 tons of iron ore.

The closure of the Yilgarn plant resulted in some employees being redeployed or leaving the company. MinRes ended its Yilgarn mining operations, which had been going on since the 1950s. As the economic benefits were no longer viable, the company said last June and then switched to low-cost, long-life operations.