Australia’s iron ore export hub to reopen after cyclone weakens

Australia’s biggest iron ore port is expected to reopen later Saturday after being spared any major damage from Severe Tropical Cyclone Zelia.

The powerful cyclone on Friday crossed the coast about 60 kilometers (37 miles) east of Port Hedland, where the export harbor is located, with destructive wind gusts of around 270 kilometers per hour near its center. Winds that strong flatten structures and buckle power lines.

Port Hedland avoided the destructive core of the storm. It has now weakened below tropical cyclone strength, the Bureau of Meterology said.

There was no report of major damage in Port Hedland, Western Australia Premier Roger Cook said in a televised briefing from Perth on Saturday. However, torrential rain has led to flooding in the Pilbara region that isn’t expected to subside until next week, authorities say.

While the Pilbara region is sparsely populated, the coastal town of Port Hedland has around 16,000 residents. The harbor was shuttered earlier this week along with other regional ports, which also export natural gas.

Australia is the biggest shipper of iron ore, with the steelmaking material accounting for 21% of total goods and services exports in the year to June 2024, worth A$138 billion ($87 billion).

While export ports have been lashed by heavy rain this year from a series of storms, this is the first cyclone of the season to make landfall and threaten mining operations and their rail links. Cyclone Sean damaged a port facility owned by Rio Tinto Plc last month, but the storm stayed offshore.

(By Peter Vercoe)