Business drivers

Account management, portfolio management and operations provide a service to Rio Tinto Group business units which is comprehensive and ranges from competitive freight provision to scheduling, administration and settlement of freight and demurrage, and delivery within the designated time.

For each commodity, Rio Tinto Marine assigns an Account Manager to work with the business unit, with other specific expertise being made available as required.  The aim is to identify all opportunities to achieve efficiencies and savings in the freight process through a central approach to managing freight risk.

Rio Tinto Marine is predominately a charter service of the capacity it requires.  It does so through a portfolio approach where some vessels are chartered in advance of requirements and some contracts are concluded ahead of fixing freight.

There are however a number of situations where dedicated vessels are required.  These are longer term deals which invariably involve bareboat or ownership and associated ship management contracts.  Rio Tinto Marine is continuously evaluating opportunities to improve the productivity of these routes through the introduction of larger and more efficient vessels.