FLASH: Australia's Port Hedland cleared ahead of cyclone

Port Hedland, the top iron ore terminal in Western Australia, has started clearing vessels, including those at anchor, to brace for the looming tropical cyclone, according to the latest notice released by its operator Pilbara Ports Authority (PPA) on Tuesday.

Tropical Cyclone Zelia will slowly move to the south towards the east Pilbara coast, with the likelihood of escalating before crossing the east Pilbara or adjacent west Kimberley coast, most likely on Friday, Australia's Bureau of Meteorology said in a new advice. "The slow movement of the system is likely to lead to very high rainfall totals near the track," it warned.

All port anchorages at Hedland are expected to be cleared by 6:00 pm-7:00 pm local time on February 12, according to PPA's alert.

Australia's cyclone season tends to span from November to April, during which time the Pilbara region is usually beset by heavy rainfall that interrupts operations of local ports, Mysteel Global learns.

Port Hedland handles vast volumes of iron ore from global miners including BHP Group and Fortescue. Last year, a total of 568.7 million tonnes of iron ore were shipped globally via the port, marking an increase of 2.6% from 2023, as reported.

Written by Irene Zhuang, zhuangailing@mysteel.com

Edited by Alyssa Ren, rentingting@mysteel.com