-- Port Hedland, Cape Lambert, Dampier expected to shut later
Tuesday
-- Tropical storm off Western Australia may become a cyclone
Wednesday
-- Shipments halted at eastern port of Weipa
(Recasts the first paragraph, and adds details on the expected
closure of Cape Lambert and Dampier and shipments halted at the
port of Weipa.)
By Robb M. Stewart and Rhiannon Hoyle
MELBOURNE--Companies in Australia's resource-rich Pilbara region
were braced for a cyclone that threatens to disrupt exports of raw
materials to Asia as it passes along the country's northwest
coast.
Australia, the world's biggest exporter by sea of the
steelmaking ingredient iron-ore, is regularly battered by severe
weather from December through April. The government's Bureau of
Meteorology said the latest storm may develop into a cyclone on
Wednesday, with gale winds of up to 100 kilometers an hour forecast
for the remote Pilbara region between Pardoo and Dampier.
At Port Hedland, in Western Australia, vessels were ordered to
leave Tuesday before the port was officially closed. The port is
used by BHP Billiton Ltd. (BHP), Fortescue Metals Group Ltd.
(FMG.AU) and Atlas Iron Ltd. (AGO.AU).
Rio Tinto PLC (RIO), Australia's biggest iron-ore exporter, said
the nearby ports of Cape Lambert and Dampier where it loads
iron-ore shipments were also likely to close.
A separate cyclone hit the country's east on Monday, halting
shipments at the port of Weipa on the Cape York Peninsula in
Queensland state, used by Rio's Alcan aluminum division. Mining
operations had restarted with exports being stockpiled until the
port reopens, a spokesman for the global mining company said. A
spokeswoman for the port operator said a decision has yet to be
made.
Earlier this month, Cyclone Narelle briefly shut the Dampier and
Cape Lambert ports, although Rio Tinto said its mine sites and rail
haulage to the ports continued to operate at full capacity.
Write to Robb M. Stewart at robb.stewart@wsj.com and Rhiannon
Hoyle at rhiannon.hoyle@wsj.com
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