China seeks tie-up with Vale to tranship ore

[BRASILIA] China is interested in setting up a partnership with Brazilian mining major Vale to move iron ore from its giant vessels on to smaller ones, as a ban on the big ships docking at Chinese ports continues, its ambassador to Brazil said on Monday.

Vale's mega ships, capable of carrying 400,000 tonnes of iron ore and known as the Valemax, are not permitted to dock at Chinese ports because of their size. This has frustrated the miner's attempts to reduce freight costs in order to compete with Australian-based rivals such as BHP Bi…