Iron ore Photo:VCG

A deep-sea cargo ship loaded with 200,000 tons of high-grade iron ore lifted anchor and departed the Port of Morebaya in Guinea, setting sail toward China on Tuesday (local time), according to a post on the official WeChat account of Winning International Group, owner of the vessel, on Wednesday.

Chinese analysts said that this step forward for the giant project, which took decades to develop, is a milestone in China-Africa trade and economic cooperation that will generate opportunities for regional countries.

According to Winning International Group, the dispatch of the first shipment marked the official functioning of the project's full industrial chain operation, from the mine itself and railways to the port and maritime shipping, for the world-class iron ore deposit, which had lain dormant for nearly 30 years.

Sailing data suggested the ship, the Winning Youth, is bound for the Port of Majishan in Ningbo, East China's Zhejiang Province, and is expected to arrive at the Chinese iron ore terminal around mid-January, the Global Times learned.

The highly anticipated first shipment faced some delays due to transportation issues, Chinese news outlet Caixin reported on November 29. However, the departure of the Winning Youth is a milestone event in the tapping of Simandou's iron ore resource. The project took years to develop, including the construction of the mine, a 600-kilometer railway line and a port, and it marked the emergence of the Guinea-China long-haul iron ore trade, analysts said.

Wang Guoqing, research director at the Beijing Lange Steel Information Research Center, told the Global Times on Wednesday that the successful development and first shipment of the Simandou iron ore mine signified an optimization of the global iron ore supply chain system and structure.

"It also marks diversification of China's iron ore import sources, which will lead to enhanced supply capacity and help improve China's iron ore supply and strengthen supply chain security," Wang said.

The high-quality ore resources found in open-pit mines will help control mining costs while reducing energy consumption and overall expenses, Wang said.

The Simandou iron ore deposit is located in southeastern Guinea and is a world-class, large-scale, high-quality open-pit hematite deposit, with resource estimates exceeding 4 billion tons and an average total iron grade of more than 65 percent, according to the Securities Times newspaper.

The project, with a total cost of about $20 billion, brings together industry giants, including Rio Tinto, Chinalco, and China Baowu Steel Group, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

The Simandou iron ore project, which is Africa's largest greenfield integrated mine and infrastructure project, started operations on November 11, according to media reports.

According to a post on the WeChat account of Rio Tinto, another project investor and developer, this infrastructure will support a combined total of up to 120 million tons of iron ore exports per year as its production capacity gradually ramps up.

Zhang Jianping, deputy director of the academic committee at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, agreed with Wang, noting that the shipment is a milestone in China's drive to diversify its iron ore resources and imports. It will usher in a new phase of win-win cooperation between China and African countries on iron ore resources and cooperation under the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, the expert said.

"As the world's largest iron ore importer, Chinese companies will naturally seek to diversify their import sources, which will help them gain access to a stable, orderly supply of rationally priced iron ores," Zhang said. As a key project of China-Africa cooperation, the project will inject growth momentum into the Guinean economy and generate local employment and foreign exchange revenues in related countries.

The Simandou iron ore mine project is an important outcome of solidarity and coordination among China, Guinea, and relevant parties. "China extends warm congratulations on its inauguration. China stands ready to work with relevant parties to help people in Guinea convert their resource endowments into more robust development strengths for mutually beneficial cooperation," a spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in November.

In the first nine months of 2025, China imported 1.03 billion tons of iron ore and concentrates, up 0.7 percent year-on-year, data from the General Administration of Customs showed.