World

Rio Tinto resumes Pilbara port operations after cyclone

By AAP Newswire

Mar 30, 2026

Conveyor belts carrying iron ore are seen at Rio Tinto’s Dampier Port — Cyclone Narelle disrupted shipments at four of Rio Tinto's Pilbara iron ore port ‌terminals in WA. -AAP Image

Rio Tinto says operations ‌at three of its four Pilbara iron ore port ‌terminals have resumed after Tropical Cyclone Narelle swept through Western Australia's ‌Pilbara region, disrupting shipments but leaving its annual guidance unchanged.

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Cyclone Narelle brought heavy rain and power outages to Australia's northeast coast in March, forcing the miner to temporarily ‌shut two ‌bauxite mines. ⁠

South32 also suspended operations at its Gemco manganese mine, co-owned by Anglo American.

Narelle barrelled into WA's northwest coast, causing port closures in the iron-rich Pilbara region.

Rio, the world's largest iron ore producer, said ship loading ⁠at three terminals ‌resumed on Saturday following port closures on March 24.

Shipping at Cape Lambert A, ‌the fourth terminal currently undergoing repairs, is expected to recommence "in the coming days", the miner said.

Two tropical cyclones in February and March are estimated to have affected iron ore shipments for the firm by about ‌eight million metric tons, Rio said, adding it has "identified a pathway to recover around half of these losses".

Rio's guidance for its Pilbara iron ore shipments for 2026 remained unchanged at 323 million tons to 338 million tons.