International rail transporter AWT has been declared the winner of a tender for the transportation of iron ore from Bosnia to industrial giant ArcelorMittal’s Central European plants in the Czech Republic and Poland. Shipments amounting to more than half a million tonnes of iron ore will commence in March.
“The fact that we have won this tender following an international call for bids made by such an industrial giant as ArcelorMittal serves as proof that we certainly rank among the top European transport businesses and that we are indeed capable of competing on an equal footing with national state-owned transporters,“ said Edin Sose, AWT’s Chief Commercial Officer.
The iron ore comes from the Omarska Mine, operated by Bosnia-based ArcelorMittal Prijedor. The mine annually produces in excess of two million tonnes of ore, all of which is consumed within the Mittal Group. Given the moisture content of the material, shipments to Central Europe can only begin when favourable climatic conditions prevail. Thus, shipments of the ore to the Czech Republic and Poland will only commence in March. The annual volume of the shipments will reach approximately 600,000 tonnes.
The destinations for the transported iron ore will be the ArcelorMittal plants in Ostrava, the Czech Republic, and in the Polish cities of Krakow and DąbrowaGórnicza. AWT will secure the shipments along the complete route, i.e. from Bosnia, through Croatia, Hungary and Slovakia to the Czech Republic and Poland. The company will also provide the associated technical and operational equipment and services, including the required rail wagons. Six loaded trains will be continuously on the move between Southern and Central Europe.
“Along with ArcelorMittal, we share a professional approach to conducting business, something which is encountered at both the Bosnian producer as well as at the consumer plants. We are confident that these shipments will serve as a good starting point for a wider cooperation in the future,” Edin Sose added.
