Australian mining giant Fortescue Metals Group (FMG) said the first batch of iron ore was successfully produced at its Belinga hematite operations in Gabon, prior to the scheduled delivery at the end of this year.

The Belinga project has an initial annual capacity of 2 million tons, and the early stages of exploration showed that the project has potential reserves of multi-billion tons and high grades.

In February this year, FMG signed a mining convention with the Gabonese government for the mining at the Belinga iron ore project in Gabon. The deal was expected to bring the company growth opportunities in Africa.