Vale will anticipate paying off a US$2.5 billion bank debt related to investments in Mozambique to move forward with the sale of its coal business in the country, it said in a statement.

The Nacala Logistics Corridor concessionaires on Tuesday sent the banks involved in the project finance an "irrevocable" note to settle the remaining amount on June 22, Vale announced, thus concluding the acquisition of Mitsui's stake in the project.

The logistic corridor concerns more than a thousand kilometers of railway line and a port in Nacala for exporting coal mined in Moatize, in the interior of Mozambique.

The agreement with the Japanese firm Mitsui was disclosed in January as part of the Brazilian minera's move away from coal mining, citing a turnaround with environmental concerns.

"With the simplification of governance and asset management, Vale is continuing the process of responsible divestment of its stake in the coal business, guided" by "preserving the operational continuity of the Moatize mine and the Nacala Logistics Corridor," Vale said in the statement.

The multinational is looking for a buyer for the operation in Mozambique and intends to deliver the mine with increased production capacity after work carried out in recent months.

Coal is one of Mozambique's main export products, and Vale employs about 8,000 people, close to 3,000 of its own employees, and the rest are outsourced.