Fri 08 Jul, 2011
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Global miner BHP Billiton (BLT.L) will resume its Port Hedland iron ore shipping operations in Australia on Friday, a day after suspending rail and port movement when a worker was killed in a crane accident, a company spokeswoman said.
"We expect to be back to normal by around midday on Friday, local time," the spokeswoman said.
The incident, which brought one of the world's biggest iron ore export terminals to a near-halt, was under investigation by safety authorities and the Western Australia state police, according to the spokeswoman. Commodities traders expect any loss of production to BHP Billiton arising from the incident to be negligible, given the short duration of the suspension.
The port remained open for business to other users, which include Fortescue Metals Group and Atlas Iron .
BHP Billiton stopped all its rail and port activities pending clearance from authorities to resume operations.
BHP Billiton, the world's No.3 iron ore miner, ships all its ore via Port Hedland and each month accounts for the majority of the roughly 18 million tonnes shipped from the port.
Rio Tinto, the world's No.2 iron ore miner behind Vale of Brazil, uses its own rail line and doesn't ship ore to Port Hedland.
Vale has no iron ore mining business in Australia.
(Reporting by James Regan; Editing by Ed Davies)
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