[ferro-alloys.com] TATA Steel has taken delivery of the first shipment of iron ore from a new iron ore supplier, Northland Resources.

MV Star Norita arrived at TATA Steel's IJmuiden terminal in the Netherlands on 2 March loaded with 55,000 tonnes of high-grade iron ore pellet feed.

The ore comes from Northland Resources' new mine, Kaunisvaara, in Sweden and was shipped via the Norwegian port of Narvik. It is thought Kaunisvaara could be the first entirely greenfield iron ore mine to start up in Europe for several decades.

Kees Gerretse, Tata Steel's Group Procurement Director said "New sources ofiron ore do not come to market every day, especially in Europe. We are delighted that Northland Resources has successfully shipped its first cargo from its new mine and look forward to receiving further shipments as our relationship grows under our long-term supply contract."

At a ceremony to mark the shipment's arrival, IJmuiden steel plant Hub Director Dook van den Boer said: "We are making great strides in improving our operational and environmental efficiency at IJmuiden. The high iron content of Northland Resources ore should contribute further to this in terms of energy consumption, and there will be logistical advantages because this new source is so close by."