The company has loaded more than 80,000 tons of iron ore onto a chartered vessel at the port of Açu in the state of Rio de Janeiro.
Anglo American CEO Mark Cutifani said: "Minas-Rio has an exceptional resource in terms of scale and ore quality, producing some of the highest quality pellet feed available for our customers across the Middle East and Asia, providing us with a clear competitive advantage.
"We believe that the outlook for our particular premium product remains attractive, despite the current weakness in the iron ore price, and that the fully integrated operation of Minas-Rio – from mine to port – will enable us to sustain our low operating cost position over the long term."
The company is planning to boost ore production at the mine to 26.5 million tons per annum over the next 18-20 months.
It is also working on the regular cycle of license and permit renewal for mining operation as it shifts into operational mode.
