[www.ferro-alloys.com] When a Valemax ship named Shandong Dazhi arrived at the ore terminal of the Port of Dalian on Monday, the Port received 25 of Brazilian mining company Vale's 400,000-metric-ton vessels and its throughput of the Brazilian blend iron ore fines reached 10 million tons for the whole year.

"The bonded iron ore blending operation stepped into a fast development period after April, when the China (Liaoning) Pilot Free Trade Zone was officially launched," said Shi Chengmin, vice-general manager of Port of Dalian Bulk and General Cargo Terminals Company.

Taking advantage of the preferential policies of the zone, the Port of Dalian put forward China's first regulatory system on bonded blend ore and initiated the country's offshore transshipment of Brazilian blend fines cargo, or BRBF.

"In 2017, 10 million tons of BRBF blending, including 5 million tons of offshore transshipment to Japan and the Republic of Korea, have been achieved," Shi said.

According to Luis Eduardo Allevato, port operation general manager of Vale Minerals China Co Ltd, the Port of Dalian is one of the most important strategic partners of Vale in China.

"Dalian's strategic location, deep-water port facilities, international reputation and excellent operation and management track record have provided a very good foundation for port development and cooperation with Vale," he said.

Vale, the world's largest iron ore miner, currently blends BRBF at five other Chinese ports including Caofeidian, Yantai, and Qingdao.

Its first bonded iron ore blending operation commenced in Dalian in 2012.

It broke the regular practice that blending operations were carried out only at the mines or steel mills.

"It is like a supermarket opened by Vale at the door of its customers in Northeast Asia," Shi said. "In accordance with the actual needs of customers, we blend the high-grade and low-grade ore by specific proportion."

Shi said the terminal is upgrading its techniques and will be put into operation in the first quarter of 2018.

The annual capacity of BRBF blending is expected to reach 20 million tons next year, he said.