Ferrexpo iron ore production down, as expected

Ferrexpo, the Ukraine-based iron ore producer, reported first-half pellet production that was down slightly on this time last year.

Production in the second quarter of 2.5m tonnes was down 2.3% on the first quarter of the year.

After first-quarter production fell 7% on the preceding quarter, Ferrexpo, which mines its iron in the Poltava region of Ukraine and is headquartered in Switzerland, said first-half production of 5.08Mt was therefore down 1.1% on the 5.14Mt in the first half last year.

The lower pellet production so far in 2018 compared to last year reflects a planned 65-day refurbishment of one of its pellet lines, which the company had flagged up in April.