Despite adverse weather, Vale reports Q1 iron-ore record

The world’s largest iron-ore producer Vale has lifted production of the steel-making ingredient to a new record high in the first quarter ended March, touching 86.2-million tonnes despite inclement weather. The diversified miner boosted iron-ore output by 11.2% over the comparable quarter of 2016, despite production falling 6.7% over the December quarter, resulting in 6.2-million tons lower output over the prior quarter as “usual weather-related seasonality” in the first quarter impacted the performance of the northern system.