SMB will also be required to transfer the ore through Guinea, instead of taking the much shorter route through neighbouring Liberia.

SMB was formed in 2014, and includes Singaporean ship owner Winning Shipping, Chinese aluminium producer Shandong Weiqiao and Yantai Port group as well as Guinean transport and logistics company United Mining Supply (UMS). The company is largest exporter of bauxite from Guinea, producing 42 million tonnes in 2018.

The consortium has already launched the $US 3bn Boffa - Boké Project which includes building a 135km line from the Dapilon River Terminal to the new mining areas of Santou II and Houda.

“The Simandou Blocs I & II Project will be decisive for the future of Guinea,” says SMB chairman and CEO, Mr Sun Xiushun. “This mega-deposit is an opportunity in terms of employment and wealth creation for the whole country. With the trans-Guinean railway, Guinea will now have a real lifeline connecting four Guinean regions between them, accelerating the administrative and economic decentralisation, and strengthening the railway network of the country.”

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