And this is how they plan to do it:
The first second-generation 400,000-ton super-large ore ship delivered
2018-01-16 Source:
Economic Times-1+10
SMM Network News: January 11, the world's largest super-large ore ship "Yuanhehai" successfully named delivery. The ship is the first ship of the second-generation 400,000-ton super-large ore ship series constructed by Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. under the construction of China Mining Co., Ltd. under COSCO SHIPPING.
.......the ship is a single-propeller low-speed diesel-powered unlimited area of the ore ship, the captain of 362 meters, 65 meters wide, 30.4 meters deep, with economic, green, environmental protection, energy saving, safety features, is a Chinese advanced, The world's leading marine products. The ship to meet the latest strength standards, compared with the first generation of large-scale ore ship comprehensive performance significantly increased, nautical miles of fuel consumption decreased by 30%.
https://news.smm.cn/news/100776559
The facilitator is Shenghe Resources Holding Co, sits outside the Big 6 domestic producers and has been designated the OS arm of Chinese RE charged with sourcing external material/concentrate for value adding back at the ranch. Looking thru their direct interests Greenland, Mt Pass, long life NdPr assets would appear their primary objective and good chance the Chinese stakeholder in another Oz listed NdPr source could be connected.
Did anybody really think the Japs were going to let Lynas slip thru their fingers, particularly after the Dragon locked up the Vietnamese border in 2014?
BTW, guess who bought the Nth Vietnam plant recently sold by Nippon Denko:
"The world of Vietnamese Rare Earth conversion is, to put it tactfully, somewhat opaque. A recent announcement advised Shenghe Resources, one of the leading rare earth producer in Sichuan, China, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Shenghe Singapore Co., Ltd. , is in the process of acquiring 90% of Vietnam Rare Earth Limited Company (VREX) from Chuo Denki Kogyo Co., Ltd."
http://www.hallgartenco.com/file.php?path=Mining&filename=ALK_July2016.pdf
(20min delay)