Iron ore shipments to China via Port Hedland retreat in July

After hitting a record high of 49.2 million tonnes in June, the volume of iron ore shipped to China in July from Port Hedland, the top iron ore dispatch terminal in Western Australia, declined by a notable 20.6% on month to reach 39 million tonnes, according to latest data released by the Pilbara Ports Authority (PPA). Nonetheless, the tonnage was still 14.4% higher than a year ago, the same data show.

Similarly, the total volume of iron ore dispatched worldwide through the port last month also dropped by 15.8% from the all-time high of 54.6 million tonnes in June to approximately 46 million tonnes. Compared with July 2024, the volume recorded a 6.5% rise, the PPA data indicate. In general, iron