SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Brazilian iron ore miner Vale (VALE3.SA) on Monday said it now expects sales of iron ore and pellets of between 307 million and 312 million tonnes in 2019, implying at least a 14.7% decline from a year earlier as it grapples with the aftermath of a deadly dam burst.
Vale has been compelled to halt production at various mines as it shuts down tailings dams that share the “upstream” structure that collapsed in Brumadinho in January, killing more than 250 people.
The miner had initially forecast 2019 sales at the midpoint of a range of 307 million to 332 million tonnes, before saying in October that it expected them to come between the lower end and the midpoint of the range.
The outlook change is due to “greater visibility on sales expected for the fourth quarter,” which should be between 83 million and 88 million tons, suggesting a drop of at least 9% from the year-ago period.
The company also said that for the first quarter, production and sales are expected to be between 70 million and 75 million tonnes, “due to seasonality, the gradual and safe return of operations and in line with margin over volume strategy.”
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