Mining giant Rio Tinto announced Monday that three of its four iron ore shipping facilities in Australia’s Pilbara region have returned to normal operations following disruptions caused by Tropical Cyclone Narelle in Western Australia.
The powerful storm brought torrential rains and widespread power failures to Australia’s northeastern coastline earlier this month, forcing the mining company to temporarily close two bauxite operations. The cyclone also led South32 to halt activities at its Gemco manganese facility, which is jointly operated with Anglo American.
When Narelle struck Australia’s northwestern shores last week, it forced the closure of shipping ports throughout the mineral-rich Pilbara area.
The world’s top iron ore producer confirmed that cargo loading operations restarted at three facilities on March 28, after ports were forced to close on March 24.
The company expects its fourth terminal, Cape Lambert A, which is currently being repaired, to return to shipping operations “in the coming days,” according to Rio Tinto officials.
Rio Tinto estimates that two tropical storms in February and March have impacted approximately eight million metric tons of iron ore shipments. However, the company stated it has “identified a pathway to recover around half of these losses.”
Despite the weather-related setbacks, Rio Tinto maintained its 2026 shipping projections for Pilbara iron ore at between 323 million and 338 million tons.
