Australia’s Pilbara Ports Resume Operation After Cyclone

 

Port operations in the Pilbara region in northwest Australia resumed during the day on Monday, January 20, after a two-day interruption as a powerful cyclone approached. The ports handle exports of iron ore as well as liquified natural gas, condensate, and salt.

Pilbara Ports, the world’s largest bulk export port authority, reported as of midday the storm “has moved far enough west to no longer affect the Pilbara or offshore waters.” The storm however is expected to continue to gain strength while it is also expected to move to the southwest away from the coast during Monday. Winds from the storm were reported sustained at over 100 mph with gusts reaching 155 mph. 

The authority ordered all the berths cleared at the ports of Dampier, Ashburton, Varanus Island, and Cape Preston by 0100 on Sunday, January 19. The authority later reported that the ports were closed as of 2000 on Saturday, January 18.

Areas in the Pilbara are reporting that they have already received approximately 11 inches of rain. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology is warning that additional heavy rains were possible along with damaging winds. There are reports of flooding throughout the area.

As the storm began to move away from the area Pilbara Ports reported Monday morning that Port Hedland resumed operations. Later in the day, it reported that ports Dampier and Cape Preston were resuming operations as of noon. The ports of Ashburton and Varanus Island resumed operations later in the day.

The ports in the 2023-2024 year set their fifth consecutive record for exports. They handled more than 758 million metric tonnes of exports with iron ore making up nearly 94 percent of the commodities exported from the region. Between July and December 2024, the total throughput across all its ports was an additional 387.5 metric tonnes.

Pilbara Ports was formed by the amalgamation of the former port authorities of Dampier and Port Hedland. It oversees the operations of four primary ports, Ashburton, Dampier, Port Hedland, and Varanus Island as well as five development port projects. 

The region is the home to the operations of major miners including BHP, Rio Tinto, and Fortescue. Energy majors including Chevron and Woodside Energy lead the LNG exports from the area. The companies are reporting flooding at the ports, mines, and rail hubs. BHP was the first to report to Reuters that it has resumed operations.