Drillco Brazil celebrated a major milestone at the S11D Iron Ore mine in Pará, Brazil. S11D, an asset from iron ore giant Vale, is the largest iron ore mine in Vale’s history, and the largest private investment in the history of mining. The mine is a highly technological operation, which functions with Long Distance Belt Conveyors (LDBC), a truckless system of 64 kms of belts that transport the ore to the plant. This technology reduces oil consumption by 70%. Additionally, the mine plant uses a system of natural moisture to process ore, eliminating the need for water, as it uses the ore’s own moisture to remove impurities, reducing water consumption by 93%. These innovations make S11D one of the most sustainable iron ore mines in the world.
Drillco Brasil celebrated an important milestone at the S11D mine (Vale – Pará). The 9 7/8” Shareate Drills, model SGA635RF, drilled a record of 12,814 meters. Achieving a Penetration Rate of 79 mts / hr, this record is the highest useful life achieved by any Tricon drilling in the mine, since its opening back in 2017. We congratulate the whole S11D Drill & Blast team, and Drillco Brazil, for this outstanding record. We aim to continue improving our overall performance at S11D and set new records!