Miner reaches milestone Pilbara shipment.

Rio Tinto has reached an historic milestone, exporting five billion tonnes of iron ore from its operations in the Pilbara.

The record-breaking shipment was sent to Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation in Japan on the bulk carrier MV Onozuru Maru last month and was celebrated at a ceremony in Tokyo last night.

Rio Tinto Iron Ore chief executive Chris Salisbury said the milestone was a remarkable accomplishment for the company.

“The five billion tonne milestone would not have been achieved without the pioneers who developed the Pilbara more than 50 years ago and the hard work and dedication of the 11,000 Rio Tinto Iron Ore employees running the business today,” he said.

“When we began shipping Pilbara iron ore more than 50 years ago we had no idea how important this commodity would become to the Australian economy.

“We are immensely proud of the role we have played in supporting Australia’s economic growth