<p>From the extraction at the mines to its exportation, ore passes through processes that affect the amount of water in its clusters. High moisture content in ores impairs handling and shipping operations, although some residual moisture can minimize fines generation and consequent losses or environmental risk during transfers. Therefore, knowledge of the drying characteristics of manganese ore is necessary to improve its industrial processing and establish suitable conditions for transport. An analysis was made of the convective drying of clusters formed by manganese ore fines. Structural properties, porosity, and bulk densities were considered. The addition of water to manganese ore fines decreased the flowability of the powder and increased the agglomeration tendency. The aggregation of fines in the presence of water led to the formation of a structure that increased the availability of surface moisture for the formation of liquid bridges, thereby enhancing cohesion. Consequently, an increase in the initial moisture content resulted in a longer constant rate period and higher diffusivity in the falling rate period, for the same drying temperature. For a moderate moisture reduction, the manganese ore could be dried during only the constant rate period to achieve the necessary transport condition, in particular the international regulation for solid bulk cargoes governed by the International Maritime Organization. This characteristic results in reductions of energy consumption and the cost of installed drying equipment in mineral processing.</p>