The Pilbara Ports Authority (PPA), which operates Port Hedland, said that it was clearing large vessels from the port ahead of an imminent cyclone on Dec 11.
According to media reports, the PPA received a severe weather warning regarding a tropical low 460 miles off the coast of Australia, which is expected to hit Port Hedland, the world’s largest iron ore export terminal, by Friday afternoon.
Port Hedland handles iron ore for BHP and Fortescue while Rio Tinto uses a different port. In November, the port shipped cargoes amounting to 41.9mn mt, almost all of it being iron ore. Notably, it was a 4pc decrease over the same month last year. China is a large importer of the material.