Pilbara Iron Ore Exports Rise in March

Iron Ore

Iron ore exports from Port Hedland gained by 10.3 Mt year-on-year to 46.7 Mt in March, of which shipments to China climbed to 40.4 Mt (+9.8 Mt), according to port authority data. Exports to Japan edged up by 0.8 Mt on the year to 2.5 Mt last month, while loadings for South Korea slipped to 2.3 Mt (-0.3 Mt).

Port Hedland’s total 1q20 iron ore shipments rose by 8.7 Mt on the year to 126.0 Mt, of which China made up 107.7 Mt (+8.4 Mt).

Meanwhile, iron ore throughput from Dampier grew by 2.4 Mt year-on-year to 12.8 Mt in March. However, the port’s 1q20 exports eased to 31.1 Mt from 32.3 Mt in 1q19, with February’s shipments (7.9 Mt) tumbling to the lowest level since February 2009 amid disruption caused by Cyclone Damien.