Key iron ore ports remained closed due to two cyclones that hit the country over the weekend, but Pilbara Ports Authority said it has re-opened the Ports of Port Hedland and Ashburton on 26 March, following infrastructure assessment.
There was no significant infrastructure damage at any of the Ports and operations will return to normal over the next 24 hours,
…Pilbara Ports Authority said in its latest update.
Namely, the update as of Monday 26 March is as follows:
- Port of Port Hedland re-opened at 0900 on 26 March 2019 – Total closure 92.5 hours
- Port of Ashburton re-opened at 1500 on 26 March 2019 – Total closure 109.5 hours
- The Port of Dampier is currently undertaking post cyclone impact assessment. Further updates will be provided when that is completed.
Meanwhile, Australian mining operations have suffered some disruption, mining giants Rio Tinto, BHP Group and Fortescue Metals informed.
Cyclone Veronica has been weakening after hitting Australia’s northwest, while further east, Cyclone Trevor was downgraded to a low pressure system on Sunday.
Businesses affected included those in the iron ore export hubs of the Pilbara region, as well as Rio Tinto’s bauxite operations in Weipa to the east, according to Reuters.
Specifically Rio said in a statement on Monday that some of its iron ore mining and rail operations had been impacted by the weather, but that there had been no reports of injuries to employees.
Meanwhile, BHP said that it had deployed staff to assess the overall effect of the weather at its sites, with any impact on production to be reported in its next operational review due in April.
Fortescue said it expected a 1.5 to 2 million tonnes of iron ore shipments to be delayed due to Veronica.
A state of emergency had been declared late last week in the northeast, with large-scale evacuations taking place.
