Video: ATBs Unlock Stranded Iron Ore Down Under
The MinRes barges are propelled by a tug via an articouple to form an articulated tug and barge (ATB). Image courtesy of MinRes.
The MinRes transhippers can unload at 6,000 tonnes of iron ore per hour. Image courtesy of MinRes.
The ore is transported by jumbo road trains which make the 150-kilometer journey from Ken’s Bore mine site to the Port of Ashburton on a dedicated and private haul road. Image courtesy of MinRes.
Australia’s unique enclosed self-discharging transhippers ensure a dust-free supply chain for the Onslow Iron project.
Onslow in north Western Australia is a desert. It receives less than 10 inches of rain a year, and for much of the year temperatures reach 95 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s known for dust storms that can turn the town red.
It’s iron ore country, but the lack of a deepwater port meant that the nearby resources were stranded until Mineral Resources (MinRes) came up with a solution – one that also ensures the supply chain is dust-free.
The company’s Onslow Iron project is one of the largest iron ore projects under development in Australia, and it’s set to unlock billions of tonnes of ore in the west Pilbara region. It is being developed by MinRes on behalf of Red Hill Iron Joint Venture (RHIJV), including partners Baowu, AMCI and POSCO.
The supply chain begins with drill and blast activities, with the ore processed in crushers that reduce dust and noise. The ore is then transported by jumbo road trains, currently undergoing conversion to autonomous operation, which make the 150-kilometer journey from Ken’s Bore mine site to the Port of Ashburton on a dedicated and private haul road.
There, it is stored in a negative pressure shed that can hold 220,000 tonnes. The iron ore is then reclaimed onto an enclosed conveyor belt and loaded onto transhippers. This process ensures the supply chain remains dust free.
The marine operation is one of the most unique and important parts of the Onslow Iron project’s supply chain. Transhippers transport the ore to ocean-going vessels anchored 40 kilometers from the Port of Ashburton. Each has a self-loading system that will distribute ore throughout the vessels’ holds. The barges are propelled by a tug via an articouple to form an articulated tug and barge (ATB).
The only competitive way to get the product from the mine to the market is through Capesize bulk carriers which require a deep-water berth, says MinRes Executive General Manager Marine Jeff Weber. However, the environmental impact and cost associated with dredging a deep-water berth to accommodate these vessels, which have a 19-meter draft, was prohibitive. It would have involved dredging a channel 22 nautical miles long.
Watch the video interview with Jeff Weber on the vessel's operation. Video courtesy MinRes
“Transhippers significantly reduce the project’s environmental footprint compared to developing a deep-water port, which is why it was the right solution for this project,” says Weber.
MinRes designed the concept for the transhippers from scratch, and the ATB design meant that more cargo could be carried on the barge. The Australian-flagged ATBs have length of 123 meters, breadth of 36 meters, and a draft of 7 meters when fully loaded. They can load at 8,000 tonnes per hour and unload at 6,000 tonnes per hour. “We can load it faster than most transhippers in the world, and we can discharge it faster than most transhippers in the world,” says Weber. The round trip to the waiting bulk carriers takes 16 hours.
The barges were built in China and are named after islands off the Pilbara coast (MinRes Airlie, MinRes Coolibah, MinRes Montebello, MinRes Rosily), while the tugs are named MinRes Balder, MinRes Bessie, MinRes Odin, MinRes Thor. The tugs provide the propulsion and also accommodation services for the crew.
“Normally you have an elevated wheelhouse on a tug, and it overlooks the front of the barge,” says Weber. “We couldn’t do that because we had such a large hopper on the barge that we couldn’t actually see over the top. So then we decided we’d go with controlling the whole vessel from the wheelhouse of the barge. And that hasn’t been done in the world before.
“The barge hooks up to the tug, and the controls on the barge control the tug. It feels like a ship, you forget the tug is there after a while.”
Two Crew Transfer Vessels (CTVs) support operations by moving mariners from shore to ship and transporting stores. MinRes Element and MinRes Incentive are largely similar vessels, each boasting twin 1,200 horsepower engines with an operational speed of 22 knots and a 0.9-meter draft.
In May 2024, MinRes took delivery of its first two transhippers in an intricate marine operation that saw both vessels transported from China to the Pilbara on a Cosco Shipping heavy lift vessel. Just weeks later, both transhippers were involved in delivering first ore on ship ahead of schedule. The fourth, MinRes Rosily was commissioned in March 2025. With regular fleet additions came increased shipping milestones, including MinRes chartering its first Newcastlemax vessel and very large ore carrier (VLOC).
MinRes’ transhippers and marine operations are now playing a vital role in the project’s ramp up to nameplate capacity of 35 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa). MinRes currently has four transhippers operational, with a fifth to arrive in the coming months.
From a classification society viewpoint, ABS has supported the project with their offshore engineering expertise combined with their dry bulker experience. With the global supply chain for critical minerals now such a hot topic, it is certain that in the near future, there will be even more challenging offshore projects involving ship to ship transfer of dry bulk cargo.
The MinRes transhippers can load at 8,000 tonnes of iron ore per hour. Image courtesy of MinRes.
Equipment List for Barge: MinRes Airlie
Ship Name: MinRes Airlie
Ship Type: Articulated Barge for ITB Combination
Ship Builder: COSCO SHIPPING HEAVY INDUSTRY (ZHOUSHAN) CO., LTD.
Ship Owner: MINRES MARINE PTY LTD
Ship Operator: MINRES MARINE PTY LTD
Ship Designer: IMC Naval Architects, Fremantle, Australia
Delivery Date: March 15, 2024
Classification: ABS
Main Particulars:
Length, (o.a.): 124.2 m
Length, (b.p.): 123.8 m
Breadth, (molded): 36.5 m
Depth, (molded): 9.0 m
Draft, (designed): 7.0 m
DWT (at design draft): 21851.6 MT
Fuel Type: Diesel oil
Main engines: Nil
Total installed power: Four (4) main generators
Bow Thrusters: Schottel SPJ 320, 1300kW (x2)
Generators: 1,255kW @ 1000rpm x 4
Engine controls: Remote and local control
Radars: FURUNO, FAR-3320-NXT-BB, X and S Band
Depth Sounders: FURUNO, FE-800
Radios: FURUNO
AIS: FURUNO, FA-170
GPS: FURUNO
GMDSS: FURUNO
SatCom: JOTRON, TRON 60AIS
Mooring equipment: Taizhou Hinlee Marine Equipment, Total 4 Nos. (2 x Port and Starboard)
Fire extinguishing systems: Fixed gas (CO2) fire extinguishing system provided on board
Fire detection system: Smoke detection and manually operated call points in all corridors, stairways and escape routes
Heat exchangers: Box Type coolers.
Life rafts: 2 Nos. (25 Persons each)
Ballast Water Management System: Ballast Water Treatment System (BWTS): Maker: DESMI Ocean Guard (Mechanical Filtration and Ultraviolet Radiation)
