Integrated logistics system is fundamental for our competitive edge

May 2013

Vale’s logistics network, linking mines, railways, ports and ships, has proved to be increasingly fundamental in ensuring our competitive edge in the iron ore market. Through the use of integrated planning, we have managed to reduce distances and distribute our products in various parts of the world in a way that is more efficient, much safer and at a significantly lower cost.

In Brazil, the country in which our largest mining systems are located, approximately 10,000 kilometres of railway track are in operation. We are now investing in the Northern Logistics Expansion Program (CLN), which will increase the capacity of the railway and the port in our North System and will include the construction of a fourth pier at the Ponta da Madeira Maritime Terminal in the state of Maranhão, due to receive its operating licence this month. By the time the project is complete it will have increased the nominal logistics capacity of the Carajás Railway (EFC) to approximately 150 million metric tons per year.



In Malaysia we are constructing a port terminal with sufficient depth to receive 400,000-metric ton ships and a stockyard, from which the iron ore destined for steel companies in the Asia-Pacific region will be distributed. The distribution centre will have the capacity to receive Valemax ships, the biggest ore carriers in the world, which reduce travel time between Brazil and Asia, cutting greenhouse gas emissions as well as time and cost.

Vale press release