A vessel carrying 200,000 tons of high-grade iron ore departed Guinea's Port of Maretapa for China on Tuesday, marking the first shipment from the Simandou project and bringing one of the world's most significant undeveloped iron ore deposits into commercial operation.

The shipment, which set sail at 5:30 pm local time, signals the full activation of Simandou's integrated industrial chain, encompassing mining, railway, port and maritime transport, according to Aluminum Corporation of China (Chinalco), a leading developer of the project.

Located in southeastern Guinea's Bela Province, Simandou holds more than 4 billion tons of reserves with average iron content above 65 percent, making it one of the highest-grade hematite deposits globally. The mine is split into two blocks: the southern section developed by Chinalco and Rio Tinto, and the northern section managed by Baowu Group and the Winning Consortium.

As a flagship Belt and Road Initiative project for Chinalco, the company established a high-level working group in March to coordinate the shipment and set up five specialized task forces covering integrated coordination, on-site scheduling and logistics. This structure enabled teams across domestic and overseas operations to address key construction and commissioning challenges involving the mine, railway and port.

A production launch ceremony was held at the Port of Maretapa on Nov 11, with performance indicators exceeding expectations, the company said.

Under a phased implementation plan, Simandou is expected to reach an annual production capacity of 120 million tons from both blocks. Once fully operational, Guinea could emerge as the world's third-largest iron ore supplier, after Australia and Brazil.

The project has also drawn significant participation from Chinese enterprises, contributing engineering, equipment and technical support.

Chinalco said it will continue to advance the project to higher standards, deepen international cooperation and strengthen its commitment to local development, aiming to build Simandou into a world-class benchmark for resource development.