"Coal and iron ore used to be piled up on the dock without cover, and sewage flowed everywhere after it rained. Coming back from the dock, I would throw my shoes away," said Nie Zhiqiang, who has lived near the port for about half a century.

Cleveland-Cliffs expects its US steelmaking operations to begin normalizing over the second and third quarters, depending on automotive plant restarts.

“Industrial activities (in China) are practically at their normal levels…Civil construction is also rising daily and steel and iron ore stocks are falling,” he said.

Concerns about Brazilian iron ore supply resurfaced among market participants this past week.

Decline forecasted due to excessive global output and cheap scrap metal.

The University of Science and Technology in Beijing has launched an online course where renowned scholars are invited to deliver online speeches about the evolution of China's iron and steel industry since April 23.

China's quick recovery from the Covid-19 outbreak has steadied iron ore prices this year, but global steel production cuts could divert 4mn-5mn t/month of iron ore to China and start to weigh on its spot markets, especially for pellet.

Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) ramped up iron ore production and dispatch to 29.26 million tonne (mt) and 29.43 mt in 2019-20.