Pilbara News

Rio Tinto has celebrated the shipment of 8 billion tonnes1 of iron ore to global markets from the Pilbara region, 60 years after the company’s first shipment set sail from Western Australia for Japan.The milestone shipment departed from Cape Lambert port aboard the Juno Horizon on May 19, bound for Nippon Steel Corporation, one of Rio Tinto’s longstanding partners.Rio Tinto’s first Pilbara iron ore shipment departed in August 1966 for Japan.Eight billion tonnes of iron ore is enough to produce the steel needed for more than 161…

Construction has started on a new Seafarers Centre at the Port of Port Hedland in Australia.Benchmark Construction and Building has been awarded a contract to construct the new center which will be a welcoming space for seafarers visiting Port Hedland and will include areas for rest, connection, recreation and access to vital support services.It will feature a communal lounge equipped with games and kitchen facilities, quiet areas, a library, meditation and prayer rooms and a shared chapel.

The 19th Asia Pacific Maritime (APM) held its largest-ever edition in Singapore last week, welcoming 19,431 attendees, alongside more than 819 exhibitors from 41 regions and countries, including 20 pavilions, and 112 speakers from across the globe. Amid the strong turnout, APM saw a significant number of announcements, covering product launches and the inking of partnerships, signalling strong momentum for advancing the industry and underscoring the industry’s unwavering confidence in Asia’s premier maritime event and conference.Yeow Hui Leng…

A powerful tropical cyclone in Western Australia has disrupted production at the country’s two biggest liquefied natural gas plants run by Chevron and Woodside, exacerbating a global supply crunch caused by the conflict in the Middle East.Australia became the world’s second-largest LNG exporter after Qatar shut down production this month following damage to its facilities from Iranian strikes. Global LNG flows out of the Middle East have also been upended by Iran’s blockage of…

Australia’s Pilbara Ports has taken a step further towards development of a low-carbon ammonia bunkering hub in the Pilbara by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Yara Pilbara.The Yara Pilbara plant is one of the largest ammonia production facilities in the world, utilising world-class export infrastructure in the Port of Dampier.The MoU advances the Pilbara Clean Fuel Bunkering Initiative as the two organisations have agreed to work collaboratively on government and stakeholder advocacy…

On the 20th anniversary of the Maritime Labour Convention, the NGO Human Rights at Sea has called on Catherine King, Australia’s Minister for Transport, to take action on the consistent provision of seafarer welfare services after an advocate has travelled the nation securing funding in the absence of federal government support.The February announcement that Flinders Port Holdings has committed $200,000 to Mission to Seafarers is a reminder that, around Australia, welfare funding for seafarers is being driven not by national policy or coordinated planning…

Schottel is supplying propulsion systems and a unique control concept for barges and tugs serving at Mineral Resources’ (MinRes) Onslow Iron project.All seven barges and two of the project's seven tugs are newbuilds being constructed by COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry in Zhoushan and Guangdong, China. Five barges have already commenced operations at the Port of Ashburton (Western Australia), with the final units scheduled for delivery in 2026. The two tugs are also scheduled to be delivered in 2026.Jeff Weber…

The Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD) and the International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAPH) have signed a two-year partnership agreement aimed at accelerating the decarbonization of the maritime sector.IAPH has a global port network comprising more than 200 port authorities and operators in over 85 countries. Together, GCMD and IAPH aim to strengthen the industry’s readiness for shipping’s fuel transition by tackling challenges and seizing opportunities in advancing alternative fuels bunkering…

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Australian companies NH3 Clean Energy (NH3) and Oceania Marine Energy to advance development of clean ammonia bunkering operations in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.The MoU aims to establish collaboration with NH3 and Oceania on the Pilbara Clean Fuels Bunkering Hub initiative, which is Australia's first ammonia bunkering concept announced by the Pilbara Ports Authority in June 2025.MOL will…

Sinobunker, one of COSCO Shipping’s subsidiaries, has completed the world’s first green ammonia bunkering operation at COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry’s Dalian terminal.The ammonia was sourced from the world’s largest green hydrogen and ammonia plant established by Envision in Chifeng and powered entirely by the world’s largest independent renewable energy system.The plant integrates wind, solar and energy storage with proprietary hydrogen and ammonia production technologies. It is powered by a proprietary AI-integrated off-grid renewable system…

Classification society DNV has awarded an Approval in Principle (AiP) to SeaTech Solutions for the design of a new 10,000cbm ammonia bunkering vessel, being developed in collaboration with Oceania Marine Energy.Measuring 130-metres, the ammonia bunkering vessel is specifically designed to deliver low-carbon ammonia to ammonia dual-fueled bulk carriers at the Port of Dampier, which emerging as a potential hub for low-carbon ammonia bunkering with its strategic location in Pilbara region.It can supply up to 9…

The successful completion of the first-ever ship-to-ship transfer (STS) of ammonia at anchorage in Western Australia, as part of the maritime decarbonization initiative led by Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonization (GCMD), has marked a major milestone in paving the way for ammonia as a viable marine fuel.Under the supervision of the Pilbara Port Authority (PPA), the pilot took place within the anchorage area of Port Dampier, simulating real-world bunkering conditions and demonstrating…

Australia’s unique enclosed self-discharging transhippers ensure a dust-free supply chain for the Onslow Iron project.Onslow in north Western Australia is a desert. It receives less than 10 inches of rain a year, and for much of the year temperatures reach 95 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s known for dust storms that can turn the town red.It’s iron ore country, but the lack of a deepwater port meant that the nearby resources were stranded until Mineral Resources (MinRes) came up with…

CMB.TECH has signed an agreement with Fortescue to charter a new ammonia-powered ore carrier. Fortescue and Bocimar, part of CMB.TECH, have signed an agreement for an ammonia-powered Newcastlemax featuring a dual fuel engine.The 210,000-dwt vessel is part of CMB.TECH’s series of large dry bulk carriers currently on order at Qingdao Beihai Shipyard and is expected to be delivered to Fortescue by the end of 2026.It will play a vital role taking iron ore from the Pilbara to customers…

Rio Tinto said on Tuesday it had begun clearing iron ore ships from two Western Australian ports as two tropical cyclones offshore swell seas and complicate its efforts to repair infrastructure damaged by a previous cyclone last month."Safety is our priority. As is procedure, we began sending ships from Cape Lambert Port at the weekend and Dampier Port last night, out to sea, to avoid high sea swells and wave conditions created by Tropical Cyclone Taliah and Tropical Cyclone Vince…

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has issued several safety recommendations after an electrical short circuit led to the grounding of a bulk carrier in the channel off Port Hedland, in Western Australia’s Pilbara region.On April 9, 2022, the Liberian-flagged bulk carrier Hagen Oldendorff departed its berth with a harbor pilot on board and four tugs assisting for an outbound passage of Port Hedland’s 40km dredged channel.During the transit, shortly after completing a turn…

The Western Australian Government has issued an environmental approval to Woodside and the North West Shelf joint venture for extension of the project.After six years of assessment and appeals, this is a critical step in the approvals process to underpin the ongoing operation of the North West Shelf Project so it can continue to deliver a reliable supply of energy locally and globally.The State’s decision recommences the Federal environmental approvals process, which was paused…

Oil Spill Response Limited (OSRL) developed the emergency response plan for the recent ammonia ship-to-ship transfer pilot conducted at the Port of Dampier in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.The operation was a a tripartite collaboration between the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD), Pilbara Ports and Yara Clean Ammonia (YCA).Two transfers took place between the Green Pioneer, owned by Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL), a 35,000 cubic meters (cbm) ammonia carrier, and the Navigator Global, owned by Navigator Gas, a 22,500 cbm ammonia carrier.

The Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD) and Hanwha Ocean have announced a five-year strategic partnership to advance low and zero carbon fuels, energy efficiency technologies and onboard carbon capture.The GCMD was established as a non-profit organization in 2021 founded by BHP, BW Group, Eastern Pacific Shipping, Foundation Det Norske Veritas, Ocean Network Express and Seatrium. GCMD also receives funding from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), and bp…

ABS is expanding its footprint in Western Australia, establishing a physical presence in Port Hedland, a key trading zone for dry bulk minerals in the Eastern Hemisphere. The new site joins other ABS locations in Perth, Cairns, Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.Port Hedland, the world’s largest iron ore export port, is located within the Pilbara region in northwest Australia. The area is making substantial investments to support the energy transition to meet net-zero emissions goals.

Woodside and the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) have agreed to dismiss the ACF’s challenge to a primary environmental approval for Woodside’s Scarborough Energy Project.The Scarborough Energy Project has all primary environmental approvals in place and offshore work is progressing well. However, the Federal Court proceedings sought an injunction to stop offshore activities for the project.Woodside CEO Meg O’Neill welcomed the agreement to dismiss the case.“Litigation…

A Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD)-led consortium has conducted ship-to-ship transfers of ammonia at anchorages within the Port of Dampier in Australia’s Pilbara region.Two transfers took place between the Green Pioneer, owned by Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL), a 35,000 cubic meters (cbm) ammonia carrier, and the Navigator Global, owned by Navigator Gas, a 22,500 cbm ammonia carrier. Yara Clean Ammonia (YCA) provided the ammonia used in the transfers.The first transfer involved 4…

The Pilbara region of Australia has achieved a record 758.3 million tonnes of exports passing through its ports in the 2023-24 financial year.This marks the fifth consecutive year of record-breaking throughput for Pilbara Ports.The Port of Port Hedland contributed significantly to this achievement with a throughput of 573.6 million tonnes.The commodities exported through Pilbara Ports in 2023-24 were valued at an estimated A$173.2 billion.Pilbara Ports play a crucial role in facilitating Australia’s iron ore trade…