Cyclone Zelia made landfall on the Pilbara coast on Friday, bringing category-four wind and rain to Western Australia.
Many of the country’s major miners had to hunker down as the cyclone battered port, rail and mine operations in the Pilbara.
BHP said it had stood up an emergency management team to monitor the cyclone and deal with any of its impacts, while incident management teams were ready to respond at a site level.
The Big Australian asked all port-based teams to remain inside their homes and villages with all equipment tied down. Rail operations were also suspended.
As of Sunday, February 16, Rio Tinto reported that its port, rail and mine operations had resumed following Cyclone Zelia passing over the region.
The major confirmed all of its people remain safe and unharmed, with mines now back in operation and ship loading resuming at Cape Lambert and Dampier Ports.
Cyclone Zelia wasn’t the first to impact Rio’s ports this year. In January, Tropical Cyclone Sean impacted the major’s rail and port operations, leading Rio to announce first quarter shipments were likely to be affected.
“Year to date, Dampier Port has been closed for 10 days and there have been 13 closure days at Cape Lambert due to Tropical Cyclone Sean, Tropical Cyclone Taliah, Tropical Cyclone Vince and Tropical Cyclone Zelia,” the company said.
“Dampier Port’s East Intercourse Island loading facility has been closed since it was flooded during Tropical Cyclone Sean, as stated in Rio Tinto’s 24 January 2025 update. It is expected to begin commissioning this week.
“As reported in that update, first-quarter iron ore shipments will be affected by weather events. The company is working to mitigate impacts.”
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