iron ore nouadhibou

How to Hitch a Ride on the Iron Ore Train in …

The train snakes across 627 kilometers of desert along the border with Western Sahara, and is operated by the national mining and industrial society (SNIM). Its role is to take iron ore from the mines …


The Iron Ore Train in Mauritania, Longest Train in the World

The iron ore train in Mauritania is an engineering marvel in Africa. Mauritanian Railway holds a record for hosting the world's heaviest trains stretching through unimaginable terrain ... It begins its journey at Zouerat Mines, a Mauritanian town in the middle of the Sahara, and ends at Nouadhibou. Nouadhibou is the second-biggest city in ...


Nouadhibou / Mauritania

Around 118,000 people live in Nouadhibou, making it the second-largest city in the country; The city has a sizeable economy based on fishing and iron ore processing, though the population has remained relatively poor. The city's freight trains that bring in iron ore from inland can be as long as 3 kilometers, considered among the world's ...


Mauritania Railway – Choum, Mauritania

First, a few facts: Operating since 1963, the iron ore train covers 437 miles (704 kilometers) on its journey across the Sahara Desert from Nouadhibou, on the …


Nouadhibou : A City Guide — Young Pioneer Tours

Nouadhibou is the second most important city of Mauritania. Located at the north of the country, less than an hour driving from the wild border between Morocco and Mauritania, controlled by Western Sahara, it is an important fishing port of the west coast of Africa.More importantly for off the beaten path travellers, Nouadhibou is where the Mauritanian iron …


How to Get on the Iron Ore Train | MilianWays

From Atar to Zouerat it takes 5 hours by bus and costs about 400MRU per person (€10 to change). The Zouerat mining complex consists of three mines in total, from where four trains depart that end up joining a single 2.5km one that departs for Nouadhibou. The three mines are To14, Rouessa and F'derik. Each with a different type of iron ore.


An exhilarating train journey across the Sahara

The journey from Nouadhibou to Zouerat takes up to 20 hours (Credit: mauritius images /Alamy) Since 1963, Mauritania's 2km-long Train du Desert has carried iron ore and brave passengers ...


Riding the Longest Train in the World: Mauritanian Iron Ore …

The train is up to 3km (1.8 miles) in length, travels on a single track of 704 kilometres (437 miles), with 200 – 300 freight carriages, weighing up to a total of 84 tons and making it the longest and heaviest train in the world. The sole purpose of the train is to export iron ore from the mining town of Zouerate to the Port of Nouadhibou via ...


Iron Ore Train – Travel guide at Wikivoyage

Construction of the Iron Ore railway line began in 1960, and the line opened 1963. It consists of a single, 704-kilometre (437 mi) track linking the iron mining centre of Zouerat with the port of Nouadhibou, via Fderik and Choum. The train itself stretches 2.5-3 km. The Mauritania state agency Société nationale industrielle et minière (SNIM ...


7 Facts and Tips about The Iron Ore Train in Mauritania

The journey through the Sahara desert on the iron ore train will take approximately 18-22 hours. It starts from the mining town of Zouérat and finishes in Nouadhibou on the coast. Since the train is not running on any timetable it is hard to predict the exact time of the journey.


From the Desert to the Sea: Modernising the Nouadhibou Mining Port

Beneath the Sahara Desert lie gypsum, phosphate salt, zinc and Mauritiania's main source of foreign exchange: Iron ore. Much of it is exported via a large port at Nouadhibou owned and managed by Societe Nationale Industrielle et Minere (The National Industrial and Mining Company, known as SNIM). The company is a huge driving force behind the …


Mauritania Moves to Increase its Iron Ore Output

Societe Nationale Industrielle et Miniere (SNIM), based in Nouadhibou, Mauritania, has announced plans to set up a 4 million-tons-per-year concentrated iron ore plant in the African nation's Al-Zouerate region. ... The company expects its iron ore production and sales to reach 11.4 million tons in 2010, an estimate that is about 10 …


Riding the Iron Ore Mauritania Train across the Sahara …

The infamous Mauritania iron ore train is used to transport iron ore from the mines in the depths of the Sahara, all the way to the west coast of Africa. It then unloads the iron ore in the Mauritanian coastal town of Nouadhibou, and returns empty, back deep into the Sahara, to the area around Zouerat, 700km from the coast.


How to Hitch a Ride on the Iron Ore Train in …

Its role is to take iron ore from the mines around the town of Zouerat and deliver it to the port city of Nouadhibou. Long days in the sun on one of the longest trains in the world. Hitching a ride on the train has …


The Iron ore Train Nouadhibou – Choum

The Iron ore Train Nouadhibou – Choum - attraction: this "longest train in the world" transports iron ore from Zouerat to Nouadhibou and can be up to 2.5km long. There are lots of bucket wagons for the ore but just one passenger wagon, see more info on the site of the SNIM, Mauritanian railways . There are 3 trains a day, but only the one ...


Travelling On The Infamous Iron Ore Train In Mauritania

The Iron Ore Train fills its 2.5 km of wagons (which is the second longest on earth) with the iron ore and then heads back to the coastal city of Nouadhibou. The view off the coast of Mauritania's Bay of Nouadhibou used to …


Nouadhibou Port | Port Code: MRNDB

Nouadhibou (Port Code:MRNDB) is situated in north Mauritania, close to the border with Western Sahara. Nouadhibou port has 2 general cargo berths and an iron ore terminal situated 15km south at Point Central, operated by SNIM. Pointe des Mouettes tanker berth is 1.2km north of Point Central and consists of a "T" jetty.


Mauritania's Port of Nouadhibou Readies for Larger Ships

The Mauritanian Port of Nouadhibou will soon be ready to welcome vessels with a capacity of up to 250,000 tons after works on the expansion of the 25-km long entrance channel kicked off this month. ... Located on the West Coast of Mauritania, the port is an important iron ore export facility. The dredging project is supported by the …


Mauritania: National Industrial and Mining Company …

Description SNIM is the second largest African producer of iron ore and a major player in the country's economy. Its representative sales accounted for about 9% of Mauritania's GDP in 2016. The port of Nouadhibou, which allows the company to transport its iron ore, is in fact a key part of the country's economy. However, the depth currently available in …


Riding Iron Ore Train in Mauritania | Safari Junkie

The train length expands to 2,5 kilometers with 200 train cars carrying cca 85 tons of iron ore from mines in Zouerat to Mauritania's second largest commercial centre Nouadihbou. Locals use it as means …


Nouadhibou: What is it like in Mauritania's second largest city?

Updated On April 8, 2024. Nouadhibou is the second largest city in Mauritania. It is a major fishing centre and large industrial port for the export of iron ore. If you are planning to cross overland from Morocco to Muaritania or you are one of those crazy brave enough to ride the iron ore train from Zouerat then you will likely have a few days ...


How to ride the Iron Ore Train in Mauritania: I rode both …

Operating since 1963, the Iron Ore Train – Train du Desert in Mauritania – is a train that connects the iron ore mines in the town of Zouérat, located deep into the Sahara, with the port of Nouadhibou, …


The Iron Ore Train in Mauritania

Terrorists are hiding behind every grain of sand. So my plan was to race through Mauritania as fast as I could, and as close to the coast as possible. Until I saw videos on Youtube, like this one, of the iron ore train that runs between de coastal town of Nouadhibou and the mine in Zouérat, in the east of the country. Deep in the Sahara and ...


Mauritania set to double iron production

It is also aiming to develop the Fderick site to produce 3m tonnes of enriched iron ore, as well as a unit at Tzargaf to produce 6m tonnes of concentrated iron. It plans to dredge the Nouadhibou mineral port for more than $100m, which should enable it to double its capacity to receive ships (230,000 tonnes) and to rehabilitate the Rweissa ...


Iron Ore train from Nouadhibou to Zouérat

Re: Iron Ore train from Nouadhibou to Zouérat. 1 year ago. Save. Hi! I did the whole train ride. Takes 18-20 hours. Bus from Atar leaves at 8 am and arrives at 1 on to zouerat. Take a taxi back to Fderik or jump out on the way from Atar. Train can leave already at 12:00.


21 hours riding the World's Longest Iron Ore Train in the …

TIME / 18-22 hours one way. OVERALL TIME / 2 days. ARRIVAL POINT / Nouadhibou refinery site. On the 6th of February 2020 Fedora and I, while exploring Mauritania in West Africa, decided to take a ride on the longest, heaviest and slowest cargo train in the world, the Iron Ore Train. After about 5 hours and a half sitting on a minibus from Atar ...


Riding the Iron Ore Train across the Sahara in Mauritania

A simplified look on the 700-km long iron ore train route and Mauritania. But hidden away underneath the sand, away from the public in a remote corner and military zone, lay crazy amounts of precious iron ore deposits. Those ores are so important for the poor country that they are mined around the clock.


Backpacking in Mauritania, a 2-week itinerary

Zouérat is a remote northern town that has developed thanks to the mining industry, specifically extracting iron ore, an activity that has become the most important factor for Mauritania's GDP. It's a surprisingly modernized town, compared to neighboring towns and villages, almost like Nouakchott and Nouadhibou, for example.


SNIM Open Pit Iron Ore Mining

The deposits occur within the Archaean and Birrimian Regueïbat Shield. Those at Kedia d'Idjil comprise largely haematite mineralisation in ridges known as Guelbs. The massive Guelb Rhein and Oum Arwagen magnetite orebodies are much-folded sedimentary deposits. The 14km-long M'Haoudat ridge contains four stee…


Crossing the Sahara: A Journey on Mauritania's …

We planned to ride the 2.5km long train from a small town called Choum, located south of the iron mine in Zouerat, toward the port of Nouadhibou on the Atlantic coast. My aim was to try and capture the spirit of …