China tightens grip on iron ore shipping as Simandou fleet takes shape
- Nearly all Guinea’s Simandou iron ore has gone to China this year
- China is set to own more than half of the newly built VLOCs primed to ship iron ore from Guinea to China
- While longer ore voyages from Guinea will boost vessel demand, weak steel output could limit growth
As the world’s largest iron ore importer, China is priming itself to capture a growing share of the long-haul shipping demand in both tonnage and volumes as Simandou route emerges
