Brazilian mining and metals company MMX Mineracao e Metalicos SA and British mining giant Anglo American announced yesterday they will work together to construct a pipeline to transport ores in the southeast Brazil.

The pipeline will link the municipality of Diamantina, in the state of Minas Gerais, to Campos, north of Rio de Janeiro. With a length of 525 km, it is expected to be the longest ore pipeline in the world.

Under the project, several new iron ore mines will be opened in the region of Diamantina. The new mines will rely on proper infrastructure to convey their production, estimated at 26.5 million tons, up to the pipeline, which will transport the ores to the coast.

In Campos, the two mining companies said that they will build a cargo port, whose maximum freight capacity could reach 175,000 tons.

The pipeline will run across 32 municipalities in the two states and will be complemented by a network, which could transport ores from Minas Gerais to the Itaguai Port in the south of Rio de Janeiro by railway.

(Published by The Brazilian, May 31, 2007)