Western Australia’s iron ore hub of Port Hedland was shut due to a developing tropical cyclone off the state’s vast Pilbara region, the port’s operator said on Saturday.

Pilbara Ports said on its website that it closed the port at 9 a.m. local time on Saturday and ordered “all port inner anchorages” to leave by 6 p.m.

“The system is expected to continue to intensify during Sunday, and by Monday,” it said, adding the system was expected to intensify to a Category 3 cyclone, which the nation’s weather forecaster categorises as of mid-severity.

The weather forecaster issued on Saturday a gale-force winds alert for the coast of the Pilbara, an area twice the size of the United Kingdom, as the cyclone developed.

“The developing low is expected to move west, parallel to the Pilbara coast today and on Sunday. From Monday, the cyclone is expected to be moving southwest and away from the WA (Western Australia) coast,” it said.

Port Hedland is the world’s biggest export point for iron ore and is used by miners including BHP Group Fortescue and billionaire Gina Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting.
Source: Reuters