MMG Dugald River has reached a major milestone, producing and exporting one million tonnes of zinc concentrate in just three years.

The achievement was celebrated by MMG in Townsville on November 12, when mining executives presented commemorative plaques to supply chain stakeholders.

Townsville Port chief operations officer Drew Penny said the milestone was a testament to the production team at Dugald River, 65km north-west of Cloncurry.

“This is a significant achievement for MMG and it is great to see a project of this magnitude running so successfully and sustaining jobs in the region from Cloncurry to Townsville,’’ Mr Penny said.

“I’d also like to congratulate MMG and their stevedore, Northern Stevedoring Services (NSS), in building efficiencies and achieving some impressive loading rates at the Port.

“We are honoured to be sharing this milestone with MMG and look forward to continuing our strong working relationship well into the future.”

Dugald River mine general manager Tim Akroyd said the achievement continued to cement the company’s global presence in the industry.

“The success of this accomplishment is attributable to our hard-working team on site, and our strong partnerships with Wagners, Aurizon and NSS,’’ he said.

“Together we have been able to achieve greater efficiency and accommodate an increase in production volumes above our original estimates.”

Most of the concentrate is exported to China, but it also ends up in markets in Japan and Korea.

The Port of Townsville is Australia’s largest exporter of zinc, copper, lead, sugar and fertiliser.