-
Posted by Allen Newton
- |
-
26 Aug, 2026
TRANSHIPPER number seven has arrived at the Port of Ashburton in the Pilbara, completing the Mineral Resources fleet.
MinRes Karri, named after Western Australia’s majestic Karri trees from the southern forests, the purpose-built transhipper is undergoing commissioning before starting operations.
The sixth transhipper, MinRes Lily, arrived at the Port of Ashburton in May and is now in full operational rotation.
With the arrival of MinRes Karri, the first transhipper, MinRes Airlie, will be sent to Singapore for design updates that were incorporated in the latest sixth and seventh transhippers, predominantly on the materials handling system.
Transhippers in the Pilbara are unique because they allow major export projects to operate without deep‑water ports, using specialised shallow‑draft vessels to move cargo from shore to large ocean‑going ships anchored offshore.
This model is essential in places like Cape Preston West and other Pilbara locations where coastal geography, environmental constraints, or project economics make traditional deep‑water berths impractical.
The vessels are engineered to load at high rates, operate in shallow waters, and safely conduct ship‑to‑ship transfers — a capability that only a small number of ports worldwide use at this scale.
MinRes CFO Mark Wilson in the fourth quarter investors call said the transhippers were performing well.
A quarterly transhipper loading record of 9.8M wmt (100%) was achieved in Q4. This was achieved despite a sweeping campaign in the berth pocket during June to manage sediment build-up.
A dredging campaign is scheduled for early Q2 FY27, which a MinRes spokesperson said would have minimal impact on volumes.
On the call Mr Wilson said other highlights included the arrival of the sixth transhipper in May.
“With the seventh transhipper, our marine logistics system will have greater flexibility and redundancy as we move into FY27,” Mr Wilson said.
Executive general manager marine Jeff Weber said Karri's arrival marks the completion of the transhipping fleet, which remains a key part of the Onslow Iron project.
“We're thrilled to take delivery of MinRes Karri, which was built with several safety and production improvements identified as Onslow Iron evolves,” Mr Weber said.
