The Pilbara Ports Authority (PPA) has smashed full-year records for the second year running. Total throughput hit 724.7 million tonnes (Mt) for the 2020-21 financial year. This represents an increase of 14 percent over the past five years.
The PPA CEO Roger Johnston stated the organization’s strong performance was a result of improved port efficiencies, which has helped to meet the strong demand for iron ore exports.
Johnston said “The investment to increase the port of Port Hedland’s capacity is paying off, with the enhancements resulting in an expanded shipping window to enable more vessels to sail on high tide per year, as well as increasing the amount of product that can be safely loaded onto vessels,”
And then Johnson added, “Pilbara Ports Authority has contributed to Western Australia’s enviable economic position, with the value of commodities passing through our ports in 2020-21 estimated to be in excess of $155 billion – this is a 29 percent increase compared to the previous year.”
“This is a testament to the ports continuing to operate at full capacity throughout COVID-19, with Pilbara Ports Authority navigating border closures and strict maritime regulations to deliver safe and reliable operations for the benefit of the resources sector and the State of Western Australia.”
In May, the organization delivered a total monthly throughput of 62.6Mt, which was equal to the same amount in May 2020.
In terms of the breakdown of the jurisdictions, Port Hedland achieved a monthly throughput of 48.4Mt, of which 48.0Mt was iron ore exports. The Port of Dampier delivered a total throughput of 13.3Mt, a two percent decrease from May 2020. Port Hedland totalled 170,000 tonnes, a decrease of three per cent compared to May 2020. Port of Dampier totalled 109,000 tonnes, an increase of 36 per cent from May 2020. Port Hedland is now the world’s largest bulk export port and ships iron ore for major miners including Fortescue, BHP and Roy Hill.
Source: KITCO News