A number of ports across Western Australia were shut on Sunday as tropical cyclone Sean continues to develop off the coast of the Pilbara region.
The ports of Dampier, Ashburton, Varanus Island and Cape Preston were shut on Sunday, while Port Hedland was closed on Saturday with all inner port anchorages ordered to leave by 6pm local time.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) has said the cyclone is not expected to break land, but extensive rain has been dumped on the Pilbara as a result of its presence.
“From Monday onwards, the cyclone is forecast to turn towards the southwest, while remaining over open waters,” BoM says.
“The system is expected to intensify during Monday and is forecast to intensify into a category 3 cyclone,” Pilbara Ports says on its website.
As of Sunday night tropical cyclone Sean was categorised as a category 1 cyclone, with wind warning of up to 120 km/h.
The forced closure of Port Hedland comes after it registered its largest ever iron ore shipment year in 2024, despite some cooling from China’s steel output.
Port Hedland is the world’s largest exporting port of the material, with full-year cargo estimates for 2024 standing at 569 million tonnes.
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