Indigenous groups block Vale’s Carajás Railroad in Pará

Indigenous peoples from three villages in the state of Pará blocked on Friday the Carajás Railroad, used by Vale (NYSE: VALE) to transport iron ore produced from the Northern System.

Members of the Gavião Parkatejê community from the Mãe Maria Indigenous land in Bom Jesus do Tocantins (PA) had begun blocking the road on Wednesday.

According to Vale, the blockade prevents the daily movement of 1,800 people who use the passenger train during the high season and also stops cargo movement, including the fuel that supplies the south and southeast of Pará.

The company did not say what the impact on production is.

“Vale repudiates the arbitrary and illegal act practiced and informs that it has already obtained an injunction from the Judiciary in favor of the full continuation of its activities,” Vale wrote in an email to MINING.COM.

“The obligations assumed by the company, provided for in the current relationship agreement with the Indigenous members of the Mãe Maria Indigenous Land, are up to date.”

In 2022, after years of negotiations, the Indigenous people accepted an agreement to authorize the duplication of the railroad. The Carajás Railroad passes to the south of the Indigenous community.

The Vale Northern System comprises three mine complexes: Serra Sul, Serra Norte and Serra Leste.

At the Carajás/Serra Norte mineral complex in Parauapebas, Vale has the world’s largest open-pit iron ore mine. Currently, the complex is responsible for 150 million tonnes of iron annually.