record iron ore shipments
Company knowledge base · Fortescue
Fortescue Pilbara Iron Ore
Three mining hubs. Five major mine operations. Around 760 kilometres of rail. More than 200 million tonnes shipped in FY2026.
Fortescue at a glance
The challenger that built a third Pilbara system.
Fortescue began in 2003 with a small Perth team led by founder Andrew Forrest. By 2008 it had built Cloudbreak, rail infrastructure and Herb Elliott Port, breaking into a Pilbara industry long dominated by two major producers.
Today, Fortescue is an integrated metals, energy and technology group. Its iron ore business connects three Pilbara mining hubs to Port Hedland, while Iron Bridge adds high-grade magnetite concentrate to its established hematite portfolio.
Pilbara mining hubs
kilometres
trucks reported
Fortescue founded in Perth
Cloudbreak and first export shipment
Christmas Creek first ore
Solomon first ore
Eliwana commissioned
Iron Bridge first shipment
Record 201.3 Mt shipped
Operating system
Explore Fortescue's mines and port.
Search the structured database or select a marker. Coordinates show approximate regional locations and are not intended for navigation.
REGIONAL SYSTEM MAPPilbara, Western Australia
Approximate locations — not for navigationMine
Cloudbreak
Fortescue's first producing mine and the operation that launched its integrated Pilbara iron ore system.
Open site profile →6 PROFILES
Cloudbreak
Chichester Ranges, approximately 150 km north of Newman
- Product
- Hematite iron ore
- Opened
- First ore 2008
Christmas Creek
Chichester Ranges, Pilbara
- Product
- Hematite iron ore
- Opened
- First ore 2009
Solomon
Hamersley Ranges, Pilbara
- Product
- Hematite iron ore
- Opened
- First ore 2012
Eliwana
Nanutarra region, approximately 140 km west of Solomon
- Product
- Hematite iron ore
- Opened
- Commissioned 2020
Iron Bridge
Approximately 145 km south of Port Hedland
- Product
- High-grade magnetite concentrate
- Opened
- First production and shipment 2023
Port Hedland
Herb Elliott Port Facility, Anderson Point, Port Hedland
- Product
- Hematite and magnetite logistics
- Opened
- First shipment May 2008
Financial & market snapshot
Record tonnes, with earnings still exposed to the iron ore cycle.
Latest full-year figures shown are for Fortescue, year ended 30 June 2026, in US dollars unless stated.
Important:
Fortescue reports Group and segment performance but does not publish a complete standalone profit-and-loss statement for every mine. Site pages separate disclosed operational facts from Group-level financial context. General information only, not financial advice.
Original editorial illustration · The FIFO Hub · AI-assistedAutomation, electrification & skills
The ambition is bigger than replacing diesel trucks.
Fortescue's Real Zero program links generation, transmission, storage, mobile equipment, rail and workforce development. The targets are ambitious; delivery still depends on safe integration, reliability, capital discipline and technology performing at Pilbara scale.
- Autonomous haulageFortescue reports 190 autonomous trucks across its operations, coordinated with support from the Perth-based HIVE.
- Pilbara Green GridThe planned system combines 1.5 GW of solar, 800 MW of wind and 5 GWh of battery storage, supported by high-voltage transmission.
- Electric fleet and railBattery-electric locomotives are commissioning, while zero-emissions excavators, haulage systems and supporting chargers move through testing and deployment.
- Workforce transitionThe new Power Up Training Centre reflects rising demand for electricians, battery-electric mechanical skills, controls and commissioning capability.
Workforce and technology watch
Latest Fortescue workforce and technology stories.
Selected for workforce, automation, technology, people and project relevance. Source-checked 30 August 2026.
Christmas Creek produces first hot metal from electric smelting
Fortescue says the Green Metal Project at Christmas Creek completed the first successful operation of its electric-smelting process during staged commissioning.
Workforce read
If the process matures, the workforce impact reaches beyond mining into electrical, E&I, process operations, commissioning, metallurgy, mechanical maintenance and control systems.
ElectriciansE&I techniciansProcess operatorsCommissioning
Fortescue backs culturally safe men's health program in Hedland
Fortescue announced a two-year, $200,000 partnership with Wirraka Maya Health Service Aboriginal Corporation to support a culturally safe men's health program in Hedland.
Workforce read
Workforce wellbeing is shaped by trusted local services as well as employer programs. The initiative is aimed at Aboriginal men in the Hedland community and shows how community health partnerships sit alongside the region's mining workforce system.
Aboriginal healthCommunity servicesRegional workforceWellbeing teams
Nullagine wind components arrive for the Pilbara Green Grid
Fortescue reported the arrival of components for the 133 MW Nullagine wind project, which is planned to use 17 turbines as the first operating wind component of its Pilbara Green Grid.
Workforce read
Construction and commissioning create interfaces across heavy lift, SMP, high-voltage electrical, transmission, controls and ongoing maintenance. Project announcements are not the same as confirmed vacancies, so workers should follow awarded packages and official careers channels.
RiggersSMP crewsHV electriciansCommissioning
Power Up centre puts the electrical skills shortage into numbers
Fortescue opened a purpose-built Perth training centre for electrical apprenticeships and battery-electric post-trade training, saying it may need around 1,800 electricians at the peak of its decarbonisation program.
Workforce read
The company reports 120 electrical apprentices, more than 700 fitters undertaking battery-electric awareness training and more than 150 tradespeople already upskilled in battery-electric vehicle maintenance. The transition is creating a training task before it becomes a recruitment task.
ApprenticesElectriciansMechanical fittersBEV maintainers
Sources & image register
Independent and traceable.
Operational and financial facts link to Fortescue's official operating pages, releases and investor reporting. Map positions are approximate regional references.
The featured visuals are original AI-assisted editorial artwork made for The FIFO Hub. They are illustrative rather than documentary photography. Fortescue's official photo pages are linked as sources; third-party photographs are not republished without permission.
- 01Fortescue — Pilbara operations overview ↗
- 02Fortescue — Our story ↗
- 03Fortescue Investor Centre — FY2026 results ↗
- 04Fortescue — FY2026 Annual Report and Appendix 4E ↗
- 05ASX — Fortescue market page ↗
- 06Fortescue — Green Metal first hot metal, 19 August 2026 ↗
- 07Fortescue — Pilbara solar and battery construction, 25 May 2026 ↗
- 08Fortescue — Battery-electric locomotives, 12 February 2026 ↗
- 09OpenStreetMap contributors — regional map reference ↗