IRON ORE: BHP reports autonomous truck collision at Jimblebar mine

[caption id="attachment_1003727537" align="aligncenter" width="463"] The collision of two automated trucks in Australia was blamed on heavy rains that left the ground wet and soft. (Image: BHP Group)[/caption] AUSTRALIA – BHP Group reported a collision between two autonomous trucks on March 16 at the Jimblebar iron ore mine in the Pilbara. The company blamed the accident on heavy rainfall. The company said the wet and soft ground caused one truck to slip into the other. Operations resumed in a few hours and no one was injured. The trucks were said to be traveling at 14 and 27 km/h. The Jimblebar mine is the first of BHP’s operations to use fully autonomous haulage. It was commissioned in November 2017. BHP says the number of significant events year-on-year has declined by 80% due to the integration of automation and other technologies. This is not the first accident involving autonomous transportation. A pair of trucks collided at the Christmas Creek iron mine last month. An automomous train carrying iron ore derailed in November 2018, and one loaded with coal derailed in February 2019. Learn more about BHP’s use of automated equipment at www.BHP.com.