Australia's iron-ore shipments resume after cyclone passes

[MELBOURNE] Iron-ore shipments from northern Australia, the world's biggest exporter, resumed following a two-day halt as Tropical Cyclone Christine lost strength over the nation's resource-rich Pilbara region.

Shipments restarted at Dampier Port, about 1,500 kilometres north of Perth, at 6pm on Tuesday after they were halted late last Sunday, Dampier Port Authority's acting chief executive officer Paul Toussaint-Jackson said yesterday. "All is back to normal," he said.

Staff at Rio Tinto Group, the world's largest iron ore exporting company after Vale SA, were returning to work at its port and rail sites in the region, spokesman Bruce Tobin said yesterday. Rio has a combined export capacity of 225 million tonnes at its Dampier and Cape Lambert terminals, according to the company.