indicated by Mesabi Trust’s historical distribution payments, the royalties received by Mesabi Trust, and the distributions paid to Unitholders, if any, in any particular quarter are not necessarily indicative of royalties that will be received, or distributions that will be paid, if any, in any subsequent quarter or full year.
With respect to calendar year 2022, neither Northshore nor Cliffs has advised Mesabi Trust of its expected production or shipments of iron ore products, or what percentage of 2022 shipments will be from Mesabi Trust iron ore. In the Cliffs’ Royalty Report, Cliffs stated that the royalty payments being reported today were based on estimated iron ore pellet prices under the Cliffs Pellet Agreements, which are subject to change. It is possible that future negative price adjustments could offset, or even eliminate, royalties or royalty income that would otherwise be payable to Mesabi Trust in any particular quarter, or at year end, thereby potentially reducing cash available for distribution to Mesabi Trust’s Unitholders in future quarters.
Commencement of Idling at Northshore Mining Company
As previously projected by Cliffs, on May 1, 2022 Cliffs commenced the idling of Northshore Mining Company at its operations in Babbitt and Silver Bay, Minnesota. Cliffs’ previous disclosures announced the idling would be for approximately four months, until at least fall 2022, and maybe beyond.
References in this Current Report
All references in this discussion and in this Current Report on Form 8-K to iron ore products “shipped” shall include iron ore products that are actually shipped from Silver Bay, Minnesota and/or “deemed shipped” as referenced by the parties to, and in accordance with, the Amended Assignment of Peters Lease. Similarly, all references in this Current Report on Form 8-K to “shipments” shall include actual shipments and/or deemed shipments of iron ore products, as referenced by the parties to, and in accordance with, the Amended Assignment of Peters Lease. After the outcome of the AAA arbitration (announced in October 8, 2021) and consistent with Cliffs’ practices, the Trust is entitled to payment upon production of pellets to be sold for internal use by facilities owned by Cliffs or its subsidiaries. As a result, the Trust recognizes revenue for Cliffs’ internal use pellets upon production of those pellets, which are deemed to be shipped under the Amended Assignment of Peters Lease, regardless of pellet grade. Pellets that are not designated for internal use by Cliffs, or its subsidiaries, continue to be recognized as revenue upon shipment from Silver Bay, Minnesota.
Forward-looking Statements
This report contains certain forward-looking statements with respect to iron ore pellet production, iron ore pricing and adjustments to pricing, shipments by Northshore in 2021 and 2022, royalty (including bonus royalty) amounts, and the timing and duration of Cliffs’ idling of Northshore Mining Company at its operations in Babbitt and Silver Bay, Minnesota, and other matters, which statements are intended to be made under the safe harbor protections of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. Actual production, prices, price adjustments, and shipments of iron ore pellets, as well as actual royalty payments (including bonus royalties) could differ materially from current expectations due to inherent risks and uncertainties such as general adverse business and industry economic trends, uncertainties arising from war, terrorist events, the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and other global events, higher or lower customer demand for steel and iron ore, decisions by mine operators regarding curtailments or idling production lines or entire plants, environmental compliance uncertainties, difficulties in obtaining and renewing necessary operating permits, higher imports of steel and iron ore substitutes, processing difficulties, consolidation and restructuring in the domestic steel market, market inputs tied to indexed price adjustment factors found in Cliffs Pellet Agreements resulting in future adjustments to royalties payable to Mesabi Trust and other factors. Further, substantial portions of royalties earned by Mesabi Trust are based on estimated prices that are subject to interim and final adjustments, which can be positive or negative, and are dependent in part on multiple price and