The China-bound shipment, comprising 149,026 wet metric tons (mt) of iron ore from the Bobby deposit at Pardoo, represents the first ore delivered under the long term contract signed in December 2008. Atlas has previously completed two shipments totaling 124,454 wet mt of lower grade material from the Connie Channel iron deposit since the commencement of operations at Pardoo in October 2008.

Atlas is mining at its 100%-owned Pardoo iron ore project, located 75 km by road from Port Hedland. The company plans to export 1 million mt during its first 12 months of operations at the Pardoo Project, growing to 3 million mt/y following commissioning of the Utah Point port facility. When combined with additional export tonnages from Abydos, the company is targeting exports at an annualized rate of 6 million mt/y by 2010, growing to 12 million mt/y by 2012.