Western Australia's iron ore hub, Port Hedland, is being cleared as a tropical cyclone approaches.
The Pilbara Ports Authority issued a warning after the Bureau of Metrology advised that Tropical Low 23U is moving southwest from its current location north of Broome and north northwest of Cape Leveque.
The system is expected to intensify and reach tropical cyclone strength on Tuesday, with a possibility of reaching category 4 before making a coastal crossing between Port Hedland and Broome on Thursday or Friday.
Pilbara Ports Authority says it will start clearing vessels from the Port of Port Hedland inner harbour from 2:00am on Wednesday, on high tide. All port anchorages within the Port of Port Hedland boundary have been cleared.
The Australian region tropical cyclone season runs from November 1 to April 30. On average, five tropical cyclones occur near Western Australia every season, of which two cross the coast.
Work is currently underway to expand the Port Hedland’s import and export capacity. The Commonwealth Government is investing A$565 million to support common user port upgrades that will help diversify trade and support the growth of renewable industries in Australia and overseas. This includes increasing the capacity to export battery metals such as lithium and copper concentrates, as well as import renewable energy infrastructure including wind turbines and blades.