Tropical Cyclone Zelia made landfall on the Pilbara coast on Friday, bringing category-four winds and heavy rain to Western Australia.
Several major mining companies had to take precautions as the cyclone disrupted port, rail, and mine operations across the Pilbara.
BHP activated an emergency management team to monitor the cyclone and handle its impacts. Incident management teams were also on standby at site levels.
The Big Australian instructed port-based teams to stay indoors while securing all equipment. Rail operations were temporarily suspended due to the extreme conditions.
By Sunday, February 16, Rio Tinto confirmed its port, rail, and mine operations had resumed after Tropical Cyclone Zelia passed.
The company reported that all employees remained safe, with mining activities back on track. Ship loading also resumed at Cape Lambert and Dampier Ports.
It was not the first cyclone to impact Rio’s ports this year. In January, Tropical Cyclone Sean disrupted rail and port operations, affecting first-quarter shipments.
“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.”