Gina Rinehart's Roy Hill project expects to be shipping 55 million tonnes of iron ore by the end of the year and says it isn't bothered by a potential tie-up between Fortescue Metals Group and Vale.
Chief executive Barry Fitzgerald said he wasn't concerned by the prospect of Roy Hill's product being pushed aside by buyers in favour of a new blended Fortescue/Vale product.
"I don't think so," Mr Fitzgerald told reporters on the sidelines of the Global Iron Ore and Steel Forecast conference in Perth on Tuesday.
"We see our product as having high quality.
"We're not a huge player in the market in terms of tonnes, so from that point of view I don't see any particular changes in the market."
Fortescue has struck a non-binding agreement with Brazilian mining giant Vale which could allow it to take a minority stake in Fortescue and invest in current or future mining assets.
Mr Fitzgerald said there were a lot of customers in countries such as South Korea, Japan and China which were looking forward to receiving Roy Hill's iron ore.
He added that Roy Hill had now shipped several cargoes of ore and the company was pleased that prices had rebounded.
However, he expects prices to fall to between $US30 to $US50 amid ongoing volatility.
"It's an aberration," Mr Fitzgerald said.
"The consensus is that the future holds some lower points."
The iron ore price rose almost 20 per cent overnight to reach $US63.74 a tonne.
Mr Fitzgerald said Roy Hill expected to reach its 55 million tonnes per year shipping capacity by the end of 2016.
While there was potential to move beyond 55 million tonnes, the company was currently focused on optimising its yield, he said.
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