RIO Rio Tinto Plc

   By Rhiannon Hoyle 
 

SYDNEY--Rio Tinto PLC (RIO.LN) said quarterly iron-ore shipments surged as it ramped up output from expanded operations in remote northwest Australia.

The Anglo-Australian miner reported global iron-ore shipments of 91.3 million metric tons for the three months through September, up 12% on the quarter immediately prior and 17% higher than in the same period a year ago.

Rio Tinto, the world's second-largest exporter of iron ore, has been expanding its network of mines and infrastructure in Australia's iron-rich Pilbara region in recent years, despite a downturn in market prices.

On Friday, the company said it continues to expect to ship 340 million tons of the steelmaking commodity this year from its operations in Australia and Canada.

The company also reported a 4% on-year increase in bauxite production, to 11.3 million tons, but said copper output fell by 24% to 115,000 tons.

Rio Tinto revised its expectations for 2015 mined copper output to 510,000 tons, from a prior range of 500,000-535,000 tons, and said output at the Escondida mine in Chile may this quarter be affected by challenges with water availability.

Write to Rhiannon Hoyle at rhiannon.hoyle@wsj.com

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(END) Dow Jones Newswires

October 15, 2015 18:12 ET (22:12 GMT)

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