Two ports in Western Australia closed as a strengthening tropical cyclone approached the coast. The system isn’t affecting Port Hedland, the biggest-bulk export terminal that handles iron ore from the world’s top exporter.
The port of Dampier, used by Rio Tinto Group, closed at 10 a.m. local time on Thursday, the Pilbara Ports Authority said in an e-mailed statement. Anchorages are closed to new arrivals with the exception of vessels proceeding to cyclone moorings and small vessels seeking safe haven. The port of Ashburton shut at 8 a.m., it said. There’s no significant impact on operations at Port Hedland, the authority said.
Category 2 Tropical Cyclone Olwyn is expected to strengthen into a category 3 storm as it approaches the Western Australian coast, the Bureau of Meteorology forecast. Apache Corp., an energy producer with oil and gas assets in Australia, said Wednesday that it was evacuating non-essential personnel from offshore operations in the area. Australia’s cyclone season runs from Nov. 1 to April 30, with an average of four storms crossing the coast, according to the weather bureau.
“Olwyn continues to intensify as it moves toward the Northwest Cape and is expected to reach Category 3 before landfall,” the bureau said on its website. Olwyn is located 335 kilometers (208 miles) northwest of Karratha, it said.
The ports will remain closed until further advice from harbor masters, according to the authority. Exports through Dampier totaled 176.7 million tons in the year ended June 30, 2014, according to port data. About 83 percent of exports were iron ore, the data show.
Source: Bloomberg
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