March 16, 2004

MOL Signs Deal to Transport Iron Ore for China's Maanshan Iron & Steel


TOKYO - Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President: Kunio Suzuki) today announced that the company has signed a long-term transport contract with Maanshan Iron & Steel Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Maanshan city, Anhui Province), one of China's major iron and steel producers.

Outline of contract

Term: 10 years from January 1, 2005
Cargo: Iron ore
Vessel: Cape-size bulk carrier
Loading Port: Tubarao or Ponta da Madeira, Brazil
Discharging Ports: Shanghai/Qingdao area ports
Annual transport volume: Approx. 500,000 tons


Profile Maanshan Iron & Steel Co., Ltd.
Founded in 1953, Maanshan Iron and Steel is one of China's leading iron and steel producers. It produced 5.38 million tons of crude steel in 2002 and its annual ore imports from Brazil, Australia, and other countries, total about 6 million tons. The company built a new blast furnace in September 2002. When it begins full operation, Maanshan's total production volume will reach 8 million tons a year, placing it among China's five leading producers.

MOL aggressively promotes natural resource transport to China's rapidly growing iron and steel industry. The company has already concluded several long-term transport contracts with the country's largest steel producer, Shanghai-based Baoshan Iron and Steel. This new long-term transport contract reflects MOL's strategy - allocation of management resources in natural resource and energy transport and expansion of overseas business. The company will continue efforts to meet a broader range of customer needs in Japan and around the world, by offering reliable, high-quality service.