Latest news with #PilbaraPorts
Yahoo
16-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Port Hedland in Western Australia's Pilbara region reopens after Tropical Cyclone Zelia
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Western Australia's Port Hedland reopened, the port's operator said late on Saturday, after Tropical Cyclone Zelia hit the state's iron ore rich Pilbara region on Friday. Pilbara Ports said on its website that Port Hedland, the world's largest iron ore hub, reopened after being shut on Wednesday due to the approach of Zelia, the most severe storm to hit the Pilbara coast since Cyclone Ilsa in April 2023. "Pilbara Ports has undertaken inspections of navigation aids, channels and berths and has confirmed safe operations can resume," the operator said, referring to the port located about 1,301 km (808 miles) north of state capital Perth. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. The nearby ports of Dampier and Varanus Island, a gathering and processing hub for oil and gas, reopened late on Friday. Zelia, which crossed the coast near Port Hedland as a category five cyclone, the highest danger rating, brought with it heavy rain and wind gusts up to 290 kph (180 mph). It moved south and weakened to a category four, sparing the town's population centre from its most destructive winds, before easing to a tropical low as it moved inland on Saturday. The nation's weather forecaster said late on Saturday that the low was weakening in the south of the Pilbara, a region twice the size of the United Kingdom "The immediate threat of severe weather has passed," the forecaster said on its website. Port Hedland is used by BHP Group, Fortescue and billionaire Gina Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting. The Dampier and Cape Lambert ports ship iron ore from Rio Tinto, which expected ship movements to resume on Saturday afternoon. Fortescue said on Saturday it was assessing its operational sites such as roads, villages and mines but advised that the cyclone had done minimal damage. BHP, which on Thursday paused its Port Hedland operations for safety, said on Saturday that the cyclone had not caused any major damage at its sites.
Reuters
15-02-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Port Hedland in Western Australia's Pilbara region reopens after Tropical Cyclone Zelia
SYDNEY, Feb 16 (Reuters) - Western Australia's Port Hedland reopened, the port's operator said late on Saturday, after Tropical Cyclone Zelia hit the state's iron ore rich Pilbara region on Friday. Pilbara Ports said on its website that Port Hedland, the world's largest iron ore hub, reopened after being shut on Wednesday due to the approach of Zelia, the most severe storm to hit the Pilbara coast since Cyclone Ilsa in April 2023. "Pilbara Ports has undertaken inspections of navigation aids, channels and berths and has confirmed safe operations can resume," the operator said, referring to the port located about 1,301 km (808 miles) north of state capital Perth. The nearby ports of Dampier and Varanus Island, a gathering and processing hub for oil and gas, reopened late on Friday. Zelia, which crossed the coast near Port Hedland as a category five cyclone, the highest danger rating, brought with it heavy rain and wind gusts up to 290 kph (180 mph). It moved south and weakened to a category four, sparing the town's population centre from its most destructive winds, before easing to a tropical low as it moved inland on Saturday. The nation's weather forecaster said late on Saturday that the low was weakening in the south of the Pilbara, a region twice the size of the United Kingdom "The immediate threat of severe weather has passed," the forecaster said on its website. Port Hedland is used by BHP Group, Fortescue and billionaire Gina Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting. The Dampier and Cape Lambert ports ship iron ore from Rio Tinto, which expected ship movements to resume on Saturday afternoon. Fortescue said on Saturday it was assessing its operational sites such as roads, villages and mines but advised that the cyclone had done minimal damage. BHP, which on Thursday paused its Port Hedland operations for safety, said on Saturday that the cyclone had not caused any major damage at its sites.
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Two ports in Western Australia's Pilbara region reopen after Tropical Cyclone Zelia
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Western Australia's ports of Dampier and Varanus Island reopened, the ports' operator said, after Tropical Cyclone Zelia hit the state's Pilbara iron ore region on Friday. Pilbara Ports said on its website late on Friday the ports, a gathering and processing hub for oil and gas, reopened after being shut on Thursday evening as Zelia, the most severe storm to hit the Pilbara coast since Cyclone Ilsa in April 2023, approached. "Pilbara Ports has undertaken inspections of navigation aids, channels and berths and has confirmed safe operations can resume," the operator said in the alert. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. Zelia brought heavy rain and wind gusts up to 290 kph (180 mph) when it made landfall and its approach prompted the closure of the world's largest iron ore hub of Port Hedland on Wednesday. The region's Cape Lambert port also shut. Pilbara Ports did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Port Hedland remained closed on Saturday, after Zelia crossed the coast near the port just after 12 p.m. (0400 GMT) on Friday as a category five cyclone, the highest danger rating. It then moved south and weakened to a category four, sparing the town's population centre from its most destructive winds. The nation's weather forecaster said on Saturday that Zelia, now downgraded to a tropical low, was "dissipating over the inland Pilbara". "Ex-Tropical Cyclone Zelia is below cyclone intensity and is continuing to weaken as it moves slowly south and further inland through the eastern Pilbara," the forecaster said on its website. Even so, senior forecaster meteorologist, Angus Hines, told the Australian Broadcasting Corp that some Pilbara towns could become cut off as water levels rose due to heavy rain brought by the ex-cyclone. An emergency warning was in place on Saturday for residents between the remote Pilbara towns of Warralong to Marble Bar, about 157 km (97 miles) southeast of Port Hedland, Western Australia's Department of Fire and Emergency Services said. Port Hedland is used by BHP Group, Fortescue and billionaire Gina Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting, while the Dampier and Cape Lambert ports ship iron ore from Rio Tinto. BHP and Fortescue said separately on Friday that their Port Hedland operations had been paused for safety and that teams had been instructed to shelter at home or at camp. Fortescue said it had also closed its Iron Bridge mining operations and cancelled non-essential travel to Pilbara sites. BHP, Fortescue and Rio Tinto did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday.
Reuters
15-02-2025
- Climate
- Reuters
Two ports in Western Australia's Pilbara region reopen after Tropical Cyclone Zelia
Summary Ports of Dampier, Varanus Island reopened Tropical Cyclone Zelia downgraded to tropical low Inland towns under threat from potential floods SYDNEY, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Western Australia's ports of Dampier and Varanus Island reopened, the ports' operator said, after Tropical Cyclone Zelia hit the state's Pilbara iron ore region on Friday. Pilbara Ports said on its website late on Friday the ports, a gathering and processing hub for oil and gas, reopened after being shut on Thursday evening as Zelia, the most severe storm to hit the Pilbara coast since Cyclone Ilsa in April 2023, approached. "Pilbara Ports has undertaken inspections of navigation aids, channels and berths and has confirmed safe operations can resume," the operator said in the alert. Zelia brought heavy rain and wind gusts up to 290 kph (180 mph) when it made landfall and its approach prompted the closure of the world's largest iron ore hub of Port Hedland on Wednesday. The region's Cape Lambert port also shut. Pilbara Ports did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Port Hedland remained closed on Saturday, after Zelia crossed the coast near the port just after 12 p.m. (0400 GMT) on Friday as a category five cyclone, the highest danger rating. It then moved south and weakened to a category four, sparing the town's population centre from its most destructive winds. The nation's weather forecaster said on Saturday that Zelia, now downgraded to a tropical low, was "dissipating over the inland Pilbara". "Ex-Tropical Cyclone Zelia is below cyclone intensity and is continuing to weaken as it moves slowly south and further inland through the eastern Pilbara," the forecaster said on its website. Even so, senior forecaster meteorologist, Angus Hines, told the Australian Broadcasting Corp that some Pilbara towns could become cut off as water levels rose due to heavy rain brought by the ex-cyclone. An emergency warning was in place on Saturday for residents between the remote Pilbara towns of Warralong to Marble Bar, about 157 km (97 miles) southeast of Port Hedland, Western Australia's Department of Fire and Emergency Services said. Port Hedland is used by BHP Group, Fortescue and billionaire Gina Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting, while the Dampier and Cape Lambert ports ship iron ore from Rio Tinto. BHP and Fortescue said separately on Friday that their Port Hedland operations had been paused for safety and that teams had been instructed to shelter at home or at camp. Fortescue said it had also closed its Iron Bridge mining operations and cancelled non-essential travel to Pilbara sites. BHP, Fortescue and Rio Tinto did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday.
Al Arabiya
14-02-2025
- Climate
- Al Arabiya
Category 5 cyclone nears Western Australia coast
Category 5 Cyclone Zelia swirled toward Australia's minerals-rich western coast Friday, with predicted gusts of up to 290 kilometers per hour sparking emergency warnings and port closures. Forecasters said the slow-moving, severe tropical cyclone was moving south on Friday morning toward Port Hedland—one of the world's busiest iron ore loading ports—with landfall expected in the afternoon. 'Very destructive winds of up to 290 kilometers per hour (180 miles per hour) are likely close to the center of the cyclone as it crosses the coast,' the Australian Bureau of Meteorology said. It warned residents of a possible dangerous storm tide as the cyclone made landfall. 'Tides are likely to rise significantly above the normal high tide mark with damaging waves and dangerous flooding of some low-lying areas close to the shoreline,' it said in an update. The cyclone was forecast to land near Port Hedland—about 17 hours' drive north of state capital Perth—before tracking inland across sparsely populated mining and cattle country. Initially arriving as a Category 5 cyclone, Zelia was expected to weaken to a Category 4 later in the evening. Pilbara Ports said it had cleared vessels and shut down operations at major minerals export centers Port Hedland and Port Dampier as well as the oil and gas shipping port of Varanus Island. Emergency services in Western Australia told people still in the cyclone's path to shelter in the strongest part of their homes, warning it was now too late to attempt to leave. The northwest coast of Western Australia is the most cyclone-prone region in the country, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. It also has 'the highest incidence of cyclones in the Southern Hemisphere.' The region holds significant deposits of iron ore, copper, and gold, and is home to some of Australia's largest mining operations. Mining group Rio Tinto said its ships and trains had been cleared from ports in the area. 'It is too early to say how long port and rail operations will be closed and what the impact will be,' it said in a statement Thursday.
