Fortescue plans to boost the Herb Elliott Port capacity from 175 million tonnes a year of product on a staged basis to 210 million tonnes.

The increase includes provisions to put 188 million tonnes a year of hematite ore and 22 million tonnes a year of magnetite concentrate through the port.

The revised licence comes as Fortescue continues to develop its Iron Bridge magnetite operation in Western Australia, which is scheduled to ship its first ore through the Herb Elliott Port in mid-2022.

Fortescue chief executive Elizabeth Gaines said Fortescue’s port operations were among the best in the world and the company had demonstrated its capacity to optimise efficiency and productivity of its port infrastructure to deliver to international customers.

“The increase in the licensed capacity of Fortescue’s Herb Elliott Port from 175 million tonnes per annum to 210 million tonnes per annum is in line with our strategy to deliver growth through investment, including the $US2.6 billion ($3.5 billion) investment in the Iron Bridge project,” Gaines said.

“This significant project will deliver 22 million tonnes per annum of high-grade magnetite product, enhancing the range of products available to our customers through our flexible and integrated operations and marketing strategy.”

Fortescue has prioritised dust management in and around Port Hedland and installed and additional controls to ensure there will be no net increase in dust emissions despite the extra material being shipped.