Radio-Canada article

http://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/1086627/minerai-mine-fer-pointe-noire

Google translation as follows:

A first unloading of ore from the Bloom Lake mine in Pointe-Noire​

The unloading of the first ore trains from the Bloom Lake mine near Fermont is a historic moment for the Pointe-Noire Railway and Port Corporation in Sept-Îles. According to a report by François Robert A first train left the Bloom Lake mine last Thursday. A week later, the contents of the cars full of ore is unloaded in Pointe-Noire. According to Émilie Paquet, Director of Communications for the Pointe-Noire Railway and Port Corporation, this unloading has a symbolic value for all employees of the Corporation.​

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"The employees on the site are filled with great pride. Many of them were there at the closing a few years ago and today they are hard at work for the restart." ​

Émilie Paquet, Director of Communications and Head of Community Relations for the Pointe-Noire Railway and Port Corporation​

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The ore will be stored at Pointe-Noire pending the departure of a first boat in April, according to Émilie Paquet. For his part, David Cataford, chief operating officer of the Bloom Lake mine, believes that a first boat could leave the multi-use wharf at the end of March.​

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Déchargement de minerai du lac Bloom à Pointe-Noire Photo : Radio-Canada/Marc-Antoine Mageau

When the Pointe-Noire facility is fully operational, it will be able to accommodate a train containing 25,000 tonnes of iron ore from the Bloom Lake mine almost daily​

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Le déchargement du premier train de minerai en provenance de la mine du lac Bloom, près de Fermont. Photo : Radio-Canada/Marc-Antoine Mageau

Unloading a car into the conveyor takes about 70 seconds. ​

"One train is 240 cars, 25,000 tonnes of iron ore. Each car contains essentially 100 to 105 tonnes of iron ore."

Émilie Paquet, Director of Communications and Head of Community Relations for the Pointe-Noire Railway and Port Corporation.​

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Multi-user wharf infrastructure​

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Émilie Paquet indicates that work is continuing on the installation of a conveyor leading to the multi-user wharf. "The work is currently being completed to connect the multi-user wharf to the rail and port infrastructure," she says. We are currently on the last miles, soon we will be able to test our new infrastructure. " At the moment, 80 employees and about 20 executives work for the Pointe-Noire Railway and Port Corporation. This summer, they could be up to 150 on the site. In addition, the current partners of the Pointe-Noire Railway and Port Corporation, the Tata Steel and Champion mines and the Société du Plan Nord are currently in negotiations with potential investors. These could join them to use the multi-user wharf. Émilie Paquet adds that part of the Pointe-Noire facilities are also planned for the start of the Mine Arnaud project.​

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