Cockatoo Island Mining

What Cockatoo Island Mining does

Cockatoo Island Mining Pty Ltd (CIM) is an Australian proprietary limited company incorporated in August 2018 and headquartered at Unit 2, Level 11, 105 St Georges Terrace, Perth, Western Australia. The company was established to acquire a portfolio of iron ore mining tenements on three islands in the Buccaneer Archipelago, off the Kimberley coast of north-western Western Australia — Cockatoo Island, Irvine Island and Bathurst Island. The acquisition from Pluton Resources Limited (which entered external administration in 2015) closed in late October 2020 after a five-year process involving more than 15 insolvency specialists, and included CIM's payment of Western Australia's unpaid iron-ore royalties and the assumption of historical environmental liabilities.

The flagship asset is the Cockatoo Island iron ore mine, a producing operation since the 1950s whose Seawall Pit yielded approximately 45 million tonnes of high-grade, low-impurity haematite ore between 1951 and 2015, with direct shipping grades reported as high as 67% Fe — materially above the 62% benchmark fines grade. CIM's go-to-market model is direct ship-to-customer: ore is mined via open-pit methods, crushed, blended and loaded onto ships adjacent to the mine (requiring no rail infrastructure), and historically shipped to steel-mill smelters in Australia, Japan, Korea and China. Revenue is generated through commodity sales of Direct-Ship Ore (DSO) priced against benchmark iron ore indices. Short-term strategy targets recommencement of Cockatoo DSO mining after the June 2022 Warden's Court approval of a miscellaneous licence for roads and airstrip access, resolving a dispute with Pearl Gull Iron Limited. Long-term optionality sits in Irvine Island (more than 500MT of Indicated Mineral Resources across Hardstaff Peninsula and the Isthmus Region per a Pre-Feasibility Study) and Bathurst Island exploration.

CIM is led by Managing Director Kelvin Chong, supported by Non-Executive Directors James Huey, Anthony Roberts and Paul Lui, with John Bell as Company Secretary (Chartered Accountant and CFO across public and private entities) and Alex Watkins as Site Senior Executive / Mine Manager. The board brings multinational experience spanning financial services, governance, mining resources trade and regulatory affairs. The company discloses commitments to environmental remediation — including restoration of more than 50 hectares of native vegetation and a 30% reduction in site water consumption within three years — and operates under partnership arrangements with the State of Western Australia and the Commonwealth of Australia, with whom it coordinated acquisition of the Pluton assets and ongoing regulatory compliance.

Name

Cockatoo Island Mining

Legal name

Cockatoo Island Mining Pty Ltd

Website

https://cockatooislandmining.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cockatoo Island Mining is an Australian private iron ore producer preparing to recommence high-grade Direct-Ship Ore mining at its flagship Cockatoo Island mine in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, holding exploration and development assets on Irvine and Bathurst Islands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Iron Ore Mining

NAICS

Iron Ore Mining (212210)

SIC

Metal Mining (1000)

akta.pro primary industry

Iron Ore Tailings, Waste Management & Reclamation (Closure, Remediation) (IMAKAAAI)

Keywords

• Iron ore mining
• Direct-ship ore
• High-grade haematite
• Mineral exploration
• Bulk commodity export

Headquarters

HQ city

Perth

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Iron Ore Sales: CIM generates revenue through the extraction and sale of high-grade iron ore as Direct-Ship Ore (DSO). The ore is mined, crushed, blended and loaded onto ships adjacent to the mine for direct delivery to smelters in Australia, Japan, Korea, and China. This is a commodity sales model with pricing typically tied to benchmark iron ore indices (62% Fe fines grade).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Core offering

Cockatoo Island Mining is an Australian iron ore producer that extracts, crushes, blends, and ships high-grade Direct-Ship Ore (DSO) from its tenements on Cockatoo, Irvine, and Bathurst Islands in the Buccaneer Archipelago of Western Australia. The company holds mining leases over a long-producing haematite deposit and is preparing to recommence operations with on-site ship-loading, supplying steel mill customers in Asia.

Product overview

Cockatoo Island Mining (CIM) operates a portfolio of iron ore mining assets in the Buccaneer Archipelago of Western Australia. The company's primary focus is the Cockatoo Island iron ore mine - a producing mine since the 1950s that has yielded approximately 45Mt of high-grade haematite ore shipped to smelters globally. CIM's near-term production strategy centers on recommencing high-grade Direct-Ship Ore (DSO) mining at Cockatoo Island. The portfolio also includes Irvine Island (long-term development target with over 500MT of indicated resources) and Bathurst Island (early-stage exploration prospect with prospective iron geology similar to Cockatoo and Koolan Islands). The company operates without rail infrastructure - ore is processed and loaded onto ships directly at the mine site.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cockatoo Island Iron Ore Mine The flagship iron ore mine located in the Kimberley Region off the north-west coast of Western Australia, approximately 135km north of Derby. The Seawall Pit produced approximately 45Mt of iron ore between 1951 and 2015, with direct shipping grades as high as 67% iron ore (well above the 62% benchmark fines grade). Targeted at steel mill customers in Australia, Japan, Korea, and China.
• Irvine Island Iron Ore Project Long-term iron ore exploration and development project on an 8.93 square kilometre island located approximately 5km west of Cockatoo Island. A Pre-Feasibility Study has shown over 500MT of Indicated Mineral Resources available in the Hardstaff Peninsula and Isthmus Region combined, intended to underpin long-term resource growth for steel mill customers.
• Bathurst Island Exploration Exploration tenement comprising Bathurst Island and other small islands located off the north-west coast of Western Australia. The island has highly prospective geology for iron with the same geology as neighbouring iron ore producing islands Cockatoo Island and Koolan Island, intended to feed long-term iron ore resource growth.
• Direct-Ship Ore (DSO) High-grade, low-impurity iron ore product mined, crushed, blended, and loaded onto ships adjacent to the Cockatoo Island mine for direct delivery to smelters in Australia, Japan, Korea, and China. No rail infrastructure is required.

Quantifiable outcome

• 45Mt of high-grade haematite ore produced from 1951 to 2015
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• State of Western AustraliacoreOthersCIM operates under regulatory oversight and in partnership with the State of Western Australia. CIM has provided environmental remediation commitments and paid unpaid iron-ore royalties owed by the previous operator (Pluton Resources). The State supported the CIM acquisition transaction, which ensures ongoing environmental viability of the Islands. CIM's operations will generate significant royalty returns to the State.
• Commonwealth of AustraliasupportingOthersThe Commonwealth of Australia provided continued support for CIM's acquisition of the Pluton Assets. CIM thanks the Commonwealth for their support of the transaction, which enabled the transfer of tenements from external administration.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Mineral Resources Limited: Diversified Australian mining services and iron ore producer operating the Mount Marion, Wonmunna, and Iron Valley iron ore mines. Comparable as a Western Australian iron ore exporter serving Asian steel mills, but with broader portfolio and significantly larger scale than CIM.
• Fortescue Metals Group: One of the world's largest iron ore producers, headquartered in Perth with Pilbara mines shipping DSO and concentrates to China and Asia. Comparable end market and product positioning, but operates at vastly larger scale than CIM.
• BHP Group: Global mining major and the original operator of the Cockatoo Island mine (1950 onward), now the world's largest iron ore producer through Pilbara operations. Comparable commodity focus, but operates at incomparably larger scale than CIM and has materially different cost structure.

Direct peers

• Brockman Mining: Australian-listed iron ore developer advancing the Marillana project in the Pilbara targeting Asian DSO markets. Comparable stage and business model to CIM as a junior developer of hematite DSO for export to Asian steel mills.
• Magnetite Mines Limited: Australian iron ore developer advancing the Razorback High Grade Iron Ore Project in South Australia. Comparable as a junior Australian iron ore developer focused on premium-grade product positioning for Asian steel mills, similar to CIM's 67% Fe premium positioning.
• Mount Gibson Iron: Mid-tier Australian hematite iron ore producer shipping to Asian steel mills. Closest direct comparable to CIM given similar DSO business model, mid-cap scale, and hematite product. Both focus on premium-grade ore shipped from Western Australia to North Asia.
• Atlas Iron: Pilbara-based Australian iron ore miner that historically produced and exported DSO hematite fines to China. Comparable to CIM as a junior-to-mid-tier Western Australian iron ore exporter serving Asian steel mills with similar logistical profile.
• Pearl Gull Iron Limited: Australian junior iron ore developer with interests in the Cockatoo Island region (objected to CIM's miscellaneous license). Highly comparable given overlapping geographic focus and similar junior/mid-cap iron ore development stage.
• Iron Road Limited: Australian iron ore developer focused on the Central Eyre Peninsula Project in South Australia, targeting Asian steel mill customers. Comparable as an Australian junior iron ore developer with significant indicated resources pursuing DSO/iron concentrate offtake into Asia.

Emerging players

• Macarthur Minerals: Australian-listed iron ore developer with the Lake Giles project in Western Australia. Comparable as a junior-to-emerging Australian iron ore developer with hematite/magnetite resources targeting Asian offtake markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cockatoo-island-mining

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cockatoo Island Mining