Rio Tinto is commemorating 60 years of operations in Western Australia, marking six decades since its maiden shipment of iron ore departed Dampier bound for Japan.
The inaugural voyage took place on August 22, 1966 aboard the vessel Houn Maru. It followed a deal with Japanese steelmakers to supply 65.5 million tonnes of iron ore over 15 years, the largest export contract in Australia’s history at the time, which provided the initial commercial foundation to unlock the resource-rich Pilbara region.
Since that single shipment, Rio Tinto has exported more than eight billion tonnes of iron ore from the Pilbara, supplying raw materials for global steel production.
The region has since grown into an economic powerhouse, with Rio Tinto emerging as one of Western Australia’s major private sector employers.
Rio Tinto Iron Ore CEO Matthew Holcz acknowledged thecontributions of local partners and workers over the past six decades.
“Our story in Western Australia began in the Pilbara, which remains the heart of our iron ore business,” Holcz said.
“We could never have built this business alone. We thank the generations of employees, Traditional Owners, communities, governments, joint venture partners, customers and suppliers who have built it with us.
The company’s Western Australian footprint now spans six residential towns in the Pilbara, five regional fly-in fly-out hubs, and its global iron ore headquarters in Perth.
Rio Tinto invested approximately AU$500 million in community programs over the past five years and recorded a spend of AU$12 billion with local Western Australian suppliers in 2025 alone.
To mark the diamond jubilee, historical photographs of the Mount Tom Price mine’s construction by the late Richard Woldendorp were gifted to the State Library of Western Australia.
“While we reflect the past, we also turn to the future. We plan to be in Western Australia for decades to come, helping create further opportunities for future generations of Western Australians,” Holcz added.
