[South Africa has introduced a range of measures to improve transport conditions at the Port of Durban, yet chromium ore shipments continue to suffer from congestion and corridor bottlenecks.] News report, July 22, 2026: According to public data, the operational improvements at the Port of Durban in South Africa have received new recognition this week, yet terminal congestion has re-emerged with severe delays on land transport corridors. Public statistics on vessel waiting times compiled in early July show that the vessel delay indicator at the Port of Durban has climbed to approximately four days, compared with roughly two days in the previous week. Delays at Richards Bay/Nkula Port, another major bulk mineral export gateway, remain at around five days. For chromium-related products, exporters of chrome ore and ferrochrome still need to set aside flexible transit lead times, particularly for cargo shipped via the Maputo corridor.

As of March 31, faced with upward cost pressure from high chromium ore prices, most ferrochrome producers have planned maintenance and output cuts recently. The supply-demand relationship of ferrochrome is expected to gradually adjust to a tight balance in the outlook.

According to market reports, Outokumpu's Kemi mine in Finland—Europe's sole chromium extraction operation—has comprehensively transitioned into a circular economy model following a recent ~$324 million (€280 million) deepening project. The facility, which processes 2.5 million tonnes of chromium ore annually, now targets the conversion of 3 million tonnes of annual mining waste into usable industrial materials for road construction, infrastructure, and concrete production. Through advanced material recovery and scrap processing capabilities that handle over 2 million tonnes of recycled steel annually, the operation achieves an impressive 94% recycled content in its stainless steel production.