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Kazakh ore producer to boost shipments to Russia's MMK
(Interfax News Agency Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)RUDNY, Kazakhstan. March 3 (Interfax) - Sokolov-Sarbai Mining Production Association (SSGPO), Kazakhstan's biggest iron ore producer, plans to ship a monthly 1 million tonnes of iron ore to Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK) (RTS: MAGN), which lies just over the border in Russia, from March.
SSGPO chief Mukhamedjan Turdakhunov told a press conference in Rudny, where the iron ore producer is based, that overall exports in March would be 1.6 million tonnes, of which MMK would receive 1 million tonnes and China 400,000 tonnes. SSGPO will ship 200,000 tonnes of ore to the Mittal Steel Temirtau plant in Kazakhstan.
"MMK, which is a long-standing buyer, is very important
to us.
We've signed a contract valid to the end of this year,"
Turdakhunovsaid. He said SSGPO was also keen to sign long-term supply contracts with China.
SSGPO will sell around 17 million tonnes of iron ore this year as a whole. It sold 12 million tonnes in 2005.
SSGPO provided up to 70% of MMK's ore until May last year, when the two fell out over prices, and SSGPO stopped selling ore to Magnitogorsk.
MMK arranged alternative ore supplies from Ukraine and Russia, and production and sales by SSGPO fell.
MMK and SSGPO then agreed on a partial resumption of supplies, and SSGPO shipped 200,000 tonnes of concentrate to MMK in each of August and September and 250,000 tonnes in October, and 100,000 tonnes of pellets in September and 150,000 tonnes in October. But this was still a far cry from the 750,000 tonnes of ore a month that MMK bought on average from SSGPO in 2004.
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