An investigation will aim to determine what can be learned from a recent truck crash at Mineral Resources’ (MinRes) Ken’s Bore mine in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.
The road train was hauling iron ore along MinRes’ nearly-150km private Onslow haul road when it crashed and rolled.
The road connects up the Ken’s Bore mine, part of the Onslow Iron project, to the Port of Ashburton, where product is shipped out via a fleet of transhippers.
“MinRes road trains operating at Onslow Iron have been involved in four separate incidents since August. Of these, one incident occurred on the dedicated haul road,” MinRes said on Friday, according to the Australian Financial Review.
“The incidents are under investigation. Onslow Iron’s production ramp up continues to remain on schedule.”
The AFR said Western Australia’s Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety is also investigating and will examine the other three incidents as well.
The aim of both investigations will be to determine the cause of the crashes and how they can be avoided in the future to improve the safety of the operation, as well as others in the region.
Onslow Iron is one of the largest iron ore projects currently under development in Australia, set to unlock billions of tonnes of stranded deposits in the west Pilbara region.
Designed and developed in-house by MinRes’ engineering and construction team, the 150km sealed haul road underpins the company’s pit-to-ship supply chain.
The haul road has also been specially designed to support the planned conversion of MinRes road trains to autonomous operation via a series of roadside monitoring bases positioned alongside the roadway.
In May 2024, the Onslow Iron project delivered first ore on ship ahead of schedule and is now ramping-up production to 35 million tonnes per year over a 30-year mine life.
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